In New York, the laws regarding streaming video or using electronic devices while driving are strict. These laws have been put in place to prevent distractions that can lead to car accidents. The short answer to the question of whether you can stream video while driving in New York is that you cannot. This practice is not only unsafe but also illegal under New York’s distracted driving laws.
Understanding Distracted Driving Laws in New York
New York has enacted comprehensive laws to combat distracted driving, focusing primarily on the use of electronic devices behind the wheel. Such laws are part of a broader effort to reduce traffic accidents and fatalities caused by distracted driving. The most relevant law regarding streaming video while driving is the state’s cell phone and portable electronic device law, which prohibits the use of handheld electronic devices for a variety of activities.
Under this law, drivers are prohibited from:
- Talking on a handheld mobile phone
- Composing, sending, reading, or accessing emails and text messages
- Browsing the internet or social media
- Taking photos or videos
- Watching or streaming videos
- Playing games
The law covers all types of electronic devices, including smartphones, tablets, and other portable gadgets. Although the use of hands-free devices like Bluetooth is allowed for phone calls, streaming video in any capacity while driving is clearly prohibited.
Streaming Video While Driving is Dangerous
The dangers of streaming video while driving are obvious. Driving is a task that requires a person’s full attention, coordination, and quick reaction times. Watching a video, movie, or any kind of streaming content splits a driver’s attention between the screen and the road.
This increases the likelihood of accidents for several reasons:
- Visual distraction: When drivers take their eyes off the road to watch a video, they are visually distracted. Even glancing away for a few seconds can lead to missed traffic signals, pedestrians, or sudden changes in road conditions.
- Cognitive distraction: Streaming video also engages a driver’s brain in content that unrelated to driving, reducing their ability to focus on decision-making, road hazards, surrounding vehicles and traffic conditions.
- Manual distraction: Adjusting the video, interacting with the device, or manipulating a touchscreen requires the driver to take at least one hand off the wheel, further diminishing their ability to control the vehicle safely.
Studies have shown that distracted driving is a leading cause of accidents. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), distracted driving accounted for 3,308 deaths in 2022 alone in the U.S. Streaming video is particularly dangerous because it combines multiple forms of distraction— visual, manual, and cognitive.
Distracted Driving and Negligence (Carelessness)
Distracted driving is often considered negligent (careless) driving because it involves failing to exercise the level of care that a prudent driver would under similar circumstances. Negligence (carelessness) is said to occur when a driver’s inattention or distracted behavior, such as using a phone, eating, or adjusting the radio, impairs their ability to safely operate the vehicle and results in harm or risk to others.
Distracted driving leads to divided attention, making it harder for the driver to react to road hazards, obey traffic laws and avoid collisions. Courts often find distracted drivers liable for accidents because their actions deviate from the standard duty of care expected on the road. In a personal injury case, proving negligence (carelessness) involves showing that the driver owed a duty to others, breached that duty by engaging in distracting activities and caused damages and/or injury as a result of that breach.
Contacting an Experienced Lawyer
If you or a loved one has been injured in a car accident or pedestrian accident, or if you have lost a loved one in an auto accident caused by a negligent (careless) driver, the experienced New York personal injury attorneys at the Law Offices of Kenneth A. Wilhelm can help you better understand your legal rights and options, and also fight hard to recover just compensation for you.
For over 53 years, our skilled accident attorneys have established a proven track record of helping injured victims get fair compensation for their losses. We recently recovered $5,600,000 for a bicyclist who was hit by a van, and $2,550,000 for another victim of a truck accident, and $3,000,000 for a pedestrian who was hit by a car, and $2,000,000 in a hit-and-run accident, and the full $1,000,000 insurance policy for a pedestrian who was hit by a truck, and $4,625,000 for a driver who was in a car and was hit by a van, and $2,500,000 for a man who fell through an improperly secured hole. Also, one of our clients obtained a verdict for $43,940,000 and another of our clients got a verdict for $23,500,000, both in medical malpractice cases.
Please contact us TOLL FREE 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 1-800-WORK-4-YOU (1-800-967-5496). WE CAN EVEN COME TO YOU. There is no attorneys’ fee unless we recover money for you. We can also help with personal injury, lead poisoning and medical malpractice cases including, brachial plexus palsy (Erb’s palsy) and cerebral palsy cases in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, or Florida. If you have been seriously injured in any of the 50 U.S. states, please call us and we will try to help you with your case.
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