sunhuntin
16th September 2006, 16:58
<found on another forum>
Governor signs bill prohibiting drivers from holding cell phones
Associated Press
OAKLAND, Calif. - Drivers in California will need an ear piece or speaker to use their cell phones in the car under a bill signed Friday by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Motorists could face fines of up to $50 if they violate the law, which makes it an infraction to hold a cell phone while driving. It takes effect July 1, 2008, and is similar to laws in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Washington D.C.
A first offense will be punishable by a $20 fine, while subsequent violations will carry $50 fines. Calls made to emergency-service providers are exempt.
"The simple fact is, it's dangerous to talk on your cell phone while driving," Schwarzenegger said during a bill-signing ceremony at an Oakland hotel, citing highway accident figures. "So getting people's hands off their phones and onto their steering wheels is going to make a big difference in road safety."
Cell-phone use is the top cause of accidents triggered by distracted drivers, according to California Highway Patrol statistics dating to 2001.
A Harvard University study released in 2002 estimated that about 5 percent of U.S. traffic accidents are caused by a driver talking on a cell phone.
The bill's author, state Sen. Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto, said prohibiting people from holding cell phones while driving would not eliminate all the distractions caused by motorists talking on phones. Drivers could use speaker phones or phones equipped with ear pieces under his legislation.
But he said the new law would allow drivers to "have both hands free to control the vehicle during those split seconds that make the difference between life and death."
The law will not prohibit drivers of emergency vehicles from using hand-held phones. It also will allow drivers of commercial vehicles to continue using push-to-talk phones until July 1, 2011.
ON THE NET
Read the bill, SB1613, at http://www.senate.ca.gov
Governor signs bill prohibiting drivers from holding cell phones
Associated Press
OAKLAND, Calif. - Drivers in California will need an ear piece or speaker to use their cell phones in the car under a bill signed Friday by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Motorists could face fines of up to $50 if they violate the law, which makes it an infraction to hold a cell phone while driving. It takes effect July 1, 2008, and is similar to laws in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Washington D.C.
A first offense will be punishable by a $20 fine, while subsequent violations will carry $50 fines. Calls made to emergency-service providers are exempt.
"The simple fact is, it's dangerous to talk on your cell phone while driving," Schwarzenegger said during a bill-signing ceremony at an Oakland hotel, citing highway accident figures. "So getting people's hands off their phones and onto their steering wheels is going to make a big difference in road safety."
Cell-phone use is the top cause of accidents triggered by distracted drivers, according to California Highway Patrol statistics dating to 2001.
A Harvard University study released in 2002 estimated that about 5 percent of U.S. traffic accidents are caused by a driver talking on a cell phone.
The bill's author, state Sen. Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto, said prohibiting people from holding cell phones while driving would not eliminate all the distractions caused by motorists talking on phones. Drivers could use speaker phones or phones equipped with ear pieces under his legislation.
But he said the new law would allow drivers to "have both hands free to control the vehicle during those split seconds that make the difference between life and death."
The law will not prohibit drivers of emergency vehicles from using hand-held phones. It also will allow drivers of commercial vehicles to continue using push-to-talk phones until July 1, 2011.
ON THE NET
Read the bill, SB1613, at http://www.senate.ca.gov