New York City Tickets 7,529 Drivers for Holding Cell Phones

A ticket blitz aimed at New York City drivers using handheld cell phones has resulted in police issuing more than 7,500 tickets in 24 hours.

Each ticket handed out last Thursday carries a $130 fine.

Police did not say how many of the 7,529 tickets were given to taxi drivers.

It was the department’s third one-day initiative so far this year to encourage drivers to use a handsfree device in their vehicles. The other crackdowns occurred in May and August.

Last year, police say officers issued an average of 536 tickets a day to drivers holding handheld cell phones while driving.