Police in New York have written over 20,000 tickets since the state’s texting-while-driving ban took effect a year ago – more than four times the amount from the year prior.

“These tickets should send a resounding message to all drivers: keep your eyes on the road and your hands on the wheel,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo stated in a press release.

The law went into effect on July 12, 2011. It made driving while using any portable electronic device a primary, rather than just a secondary offense — meaning that drivers can be stopped solely if they are found to be using such a device while driving.

When he signed the bill into law last year, Cuomo said it was “common sense — but sometimes you need law enforcement, and you need laws, to remind society of common sense and enforce common sense.”

U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has called texting while driving “a national epidemic” and said it’s responsible for about ten percent of all traffic fatalities.

Data show more than 3,700 tickets issued the past year in Manhattan, followed by Queens a little more than 3,300 and Brooklyn with over 3,200.

A county-by-county breakdown of tickets issued before and after the law can be viewed below (source: NY Governor’s Office).