California to go hands-free in the car
Banning phone use while driving is all the rage these days -- despite evidence suggesting it doesn't help -- and now California's the latest to join the bandwagon. The law, which goes into effect January 1, 2008, requires the use of a hands-free device when chatting behind the wheel, lest some Erik Estrada type pulls you over and slaps you with a $20 fine. Repeat offenders get their fine upped to $50, but apparently has no adverse effect on the driver's insurance premium; we suspect a sizable number of Californians are going to view an occasional $50 chat with a CHiP as more of a price of doing business than a deterrent (but then again, maybe that's the idea). And no, being parked in LA traffic won't count as an exemption.[Via Autoblog]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Minh @ Sep 16th 2006 3:53PM
$20 fine? Maybe it's will stop people from texting while driving too.
+1 on the picture choice
kevin @ Sep 16th 2007 10:24AM
So, am I the only one to notice that this article says the law is effective JANUARY 1, 2008, but the linked article (below) states that teenage-ban is effective JULY 1, 2008 -but says it is the same day??
Oops! Just thought I'd bring it out...
http://www.engadget.com/2007/09/16/schwarzenegger-signs-ban-on-teen-cell-phone-use-while-driving/
CapWKidd @ Sep 16th 2007 2:11PM
Wow... lamest law (for us) ever! I do not like wearing a "hands-free device", lame... just because a few people are unable to chew gum and walk, er, I mean, drive and talk at the same time, does not mean all of us CA'ers should be penalized! Maybe we can test the driving ability of people, if they are unable to past the driving test with a cell phone, they will get something on their drivers license saying so, kind of like "eye glasses required" .... sound like a plan?
hellokitty @ Nov 12th 2007 11:01AM
I am glad this ban against driving while talking on a hand-held cell phone was passed. Even though drivers who only have one hand on the wheel while the other is holding the phone to their ear may disagree with the policy by claiming that they are capable of driving while talking, there have been many accidents that could have been prevented if the driver's attention had been fully on the road. One such incidence is the death of Morgan Pena, a two year old child. She had been sitting in her car seat when her mother's vehicle was broadsided by a reckless driver who had ran over a stop sign at 45 miles per hour because he had been chatting away on his cell phone. Also, it is very common to find drivers who realize that they are coming upon their desired exit and decide to change lanes immediately before they are forced to the next exit. Such situations could be prevented through the passing of this ban against cell phone use while driving. Additionally, in the New England Journal of Medicine, conclusions of a study conducted by the University of Toronto states a quadrupling effect of cell phone use on accident rate, which is equivalent to driving with a blood alcohol level at the legal limit. Since there are regulations against DUI, it is logical for bans to be implemented against hand-held cell phone use while driving as well.