About damn time! Now for all states!

This law should extend to people of all ages not just teenagers.

I think this is total crap, most of the people that I see driving bad while talking on cell phones are in there mid 40's. And yes i'm a teenager however, I don't own a cell phone.

this law should apply to all ages and only hands free devices should be allowed.

phone calls can wait until the driver is parked. gps navigation and fast food might be next. there is no need for this law. its just another means for police to invade privacy and lawyers to make money. parents should handle this within their family.

The law is an ass. Arnold won't stop potential voters coming across the border illegaly into California..and when he does appear to take a stand, it will be too late. More vote-grabbing rubbish from people that only care about themselves.

If you look at the statistics, hands free phones are no different than regular phones. Further, both have the exact same effect as having a conversation with a passenger (who is physically present). More importantly, talking only increases the percentage of fender benders; it doesn't lead to a higher rate of more serious collisions.

Statistics probably point to teenagers as being the biggest problem, but I know plenty of older people that are worse off. This law should have applied to everyone.

That is going to do nothing but earn money for the government.

Frankly, I don't talk on a cell phone when I am in a car. It's just too dangerous to try and juggle a conversation on a phone, parking or driving a car, and watching out for the other drivers.
I, and most other people, just do not have the multitasking abilities to do three or four things at a time.

However, they don't need a law for this. What they need to do is put a jammer in cars so that cell phones do not work when the car is in motion or turned on.

There is an existing distracted driving law for anyone who is driving. If the person is distracted doing anything other than driving they are subject to citation. Eating, drinking, talking etc can be a distraction. Driving is not a right, there is also no privacy when driving, if an officer (or other motorist reports) observes unsafe driving they can cite the person, all they need is a lack of a blinker, sudden/excessive lane changes, even horn honking(related to road rage).

It's really an extra law to explicitly tell people not to talk on their phones because people are basically too ignorant to realize what they are doing is dangerous to themselves and everyone around them.

I rather he just ban teens period. I got rear ended twice by teenagers who had their license less then 2 months. Why were they driving like idiots? Because they were on a date and was showing off how fast they can drive. And when traffic slowed down and stopped, they were to fast, and BAM. 2 wrecked cars.

I had to do research for a college paper on this cell phones and driving. Any distraction that you can make illegal is a good one. If they're going to pass laws saying we have to buckle up, then surely we should ban cell phones while driving. If you can't kill yourself then you sure as hell better not be able to kill someone else. The STATS since you brought it up, point out that hands free devices are STILL a distraction, and that cell phones are one of the top causes of driver distraction, lowering response time and awareness by a lot. The rule I was taught in drivers ed years ago was that driving is the number one priority when you're behind the wheel, and everything else is unimportant. You're driving a heavy, potentially lethal chunk of metal and that should always be number one on your mind. Not whether Tommy is gonna pick you up at 7 or if the kids are doing ok at home. You need to be concerned with what you are doing, as everyone else's life is in your hands when you're behind the wheel. If you're not going to be as responsible as you can be when you're on the road, then you have no business being there.

By law any car that is manufactured from when the law is implemented must have that jammer, and a cop should be able to test a jammer to see if it's working. All new cell phones must also contain a chip that works with this jammer to limit interference. It's a GREAT idea. Only government and authorized vehicles should be allowed to have cell phone use enabled. This would save so many lives.

I disagree with those that don't think this should be a law. You may not talk on the phone when you drive (although you probably do and that's why you're upset) but plenty of others due. If you're a teenager and don't want to lose your soda money...don't talk on the phone. It isn't just for accidents. I hate sitting behind some girl so busy talking about shopping and the sale at the mall, and how cute her friends' shoes are, that she doesn't see the stop light turn green and holds up traffic. That or the people that almost cause accidents by swerving because they aren't paying attention. Go Governator.

I hope cancer kills smokers in the most gruesome painful way possible, it would make my day.

I would consider it a good law when they make it for both adults and teenagers. And for the guy who says ban teens period WOW just WOW. If teens weren't able to drive and learn from their mistakes they would just make the same mistakes when they turned 20 and where able to drive. So either way you would be whining when someone rear ended you.

What happens if you get in an accident in the middle of nowhere and you are trapped in your car because it rolled or something? You wouldn't be able to use your cell phone for help because it would be jammed right? If I am wrong, please correct me on this.

I'm generally a passenger in car transportation. Why the first thing to come to most people's minds is cars and the driver sitting there alone? So, don't talk to the driver, and don't talk on the phone while he is driving too. So, no teens (or strictly regulated teens) behind the wheel, a small price to pay for responsible teens (minority) for the benefit of road safety. But all hands free and eyes on the road should be allowed.

I'm generally a passenger in car transportation. Why the first thing to come to most people's minds is cars and the driver sitting there alone? So, don't talk to the driver, and don't talk on the phone while he is driving too. So, no teens (or strictly regulated teens) behind the wheel, a small price to pay for responsible teens (minority) for the benefit of road safety. But all hands free and eyes on the road should be allowed.

More money for the government? Are you serious? You must have read the fine as $200 and not $20 because I fail to see how $20 dollars a fine can really deepen those government pockets...

Now about your hatred towards lawyers who are going to make money from this.

A lawyer will make far more money from a wreck that happens from someone not paying attention and talking on the phone, not from a $20 fine, who the hell is going to contest that anyway, you'll be paying more in court fees alone than the what the fine itself is worth.

Lets also consider this "invasion" of privacy accusation.
I'm having trouble understanding how looking into your window and seeing you talking on the phone is an invasion of privacy. It's in plain view.

California has a law that prevents people from having tinted windows a certain degree. Now that I can understand would be an invasion of privacy.

Next issue to complain about please?

Several responses have pointed out the unfairness in the law and that it should be applied to all drivers and not just teens. The reason that this is applied to only teens is simply because teens typically have much less driving experience and therefore should be even more intent on their driving than someone with years of experience.

There's a reason why insurance for teens and individuals under 25 are so much higher. This group of individuals is on average less responsible and less experienced at driving. I think that applying this law to teens is perfectly valid.

Wow...
just wow
Its amazing how people will not only consent to their freedom being taken away but THEY WILL ACTUALLY SUGGEST IT!!!
What comes next?
We put a jammer in the engine so it cant go over the speed limit

OH! I know!

Why dont we just install cameras all over the place and record every little bit of everyone's lives.
Then we can install "jammers" to stop them from doing wrong. Has ANYONE here read 1984?

Why dont we just surrender all our freedom and elect Schwartzenegger Dictator?

Teens already have a lack of driving experience, and couple that with talking on a cell phone just makes a bad mix. Its a good change.

HOLD THE PHONE! Government making yet another useless law? Say it ain't so! They banned cell phone driving in Newfoundland (province near my own) in 2003, "In Newfoundland, there has been no discernible reduction in the number of accidents since the law came into effect."

This law should apply to everyone. Using a phone while driving is as dangerous as being drunk. The number of erratic drivers here in Ca that turn out to be on their phones is insane.

Of course the reason this law only applies to teens is simply because teens don't get to vote and don't form a (well funded) lobby.

I did the cell phone and driving thing and I was always missing my blind spot and other important details about driving safely. Some people say that it can impair you as bad as drink driving which I can believe but I still support a hands free as long as you are not dialing out. When I was on call for a support job I would frequently be in the car when paged and I would have to pull over to be able to do my job properly.

i'm sure most teenagers are smart enough to be safe on the road. i know that when i drive i don't make phone calls to people. besides teenagers certainly are NOT the only ones who do it. more over-legislation which only serves to further hinder society's ability to learn and make smart decisions for themselves.

i talk on the phone while stuck in traffic, its a good way to kill time, but i get pissed off when i see people swerving like they are drunk and then see them reading magazines or checking themselves out in the mirror (seriously)

Well i for one am not a teen and i could care less on what they pass as a law. I eat, talk, play games, watch movies while driving and i have yet to have a single collision because of any of those. i think if i was half asleep(meaning my eyes closeing on and off while driving) i consider that more of a fender bender then doing anything else i said up on top. Its called being a responsible driver. I've driven for over 4 years now and over time you can tell whether or not you can multi-task while driving. I found that i can do it. I think this law is pointless, they should be useing there brain power on a matter more important then this.

1. If you don't have handsfree, you have one hand stuck on the mobile which makes driving harder, you do need 2 hands to drive.

2. Some people also send SMS's from their mobiles while driving, since I have done this in the paste as well, I know how distracting it is as you need to look away from the road and focus on the keyboard.

3. Talking with a passenger is also a bit distracting but does not occupy one of your hands or requires dialing/pressing buttons so it is way less dangerous.

Now I have handsfree and it really rockz. :)

The fines here (in Portugal) are not anything like $20 they're more something like EUR 150.

I think this law for teenagers is probably more due to the fact that some teens are mobile addicted and are SMS crazy spending hours sending SMS's like if it was a chatroom. I know this because I have young cousins who do that and I see a lot more people doing it. Teens tend to do it more, older people also do it sometimes but much less often as with age you tend to control your actions more and exagerate less. :)

I sometimes do talk on the phone while driving when all the following conditions are met:
1- Only incoming calls
2- Only if I am expecting an important call
3- Only while I am on an otherwise practically deserted highway
4- Only when I still have a while to go until I need to change lane or do anything else

In short, I answer only while driving through a (very) low-risk environment and am expecting an important call.

As for the hands-on VS basic phone thing, I find both to be equally distracting, the only gain is having both hands free.

For me, talking to passengers or feeling my way around the console to locate a button is pretty close to as distracting as answering my phone... they should make laws to mandate radio interlocks to prevent people from changing radio station or CD track while the vehicle is moving while they're at it.

it should apply equally to all ages. Anyone who drives and uses a cell phone is not driving safely. One of my co-workers got rear-ended by a person who was yakking on a cell phone while they were driving. Luckily, neither person was seriously injured, but (appropriately) the yakker's car was totaled. I won't even talk about the latest Darwin contest, text-messaging while driving.

Please stop cell phone use in cars, people. You're going to get someone killed.

Australia has had that law for a while now, no matter what age. Hands free is allowed though. It has been generally accepted here that people using their phone while driving are acciddents waiting to happen.

I find it that older people have a bigger problem with this than teens. Teens are younger and have better reflexes (not saying that they should drive wile on the phone) the law should be applied to everyone. it would be nice to have stricter road law like Germany or other countries. Over there your not to consume anything wile driving either... kinda why they got the autobahn.

Its about being inexperience and using a cellphone at the same time.

A person in their 30's is less likely to get involved in an accident than an under-aged driver...

Imagine a learner on the cellphone... hello?

Here in Brit-land we have a law that covers mobile phone usage in a vehicle whilst driving, separate from an older law defining 'Driving without due care and attention'. This mobile usage law has a maximum penalty of £1000 - yes that's one thousand pounds (about $1900). This law applies to all drivers regardless of age, and it also comes with 'penalty points' which endorse your driving license. If you get too many penalty points you lose your license and have to re-apply for one after a period of ban. Further to that, your insurance premiums skyrocket when you have points on your license. (Failure to disclose said points voids your insurance - driving without insurance is itself a crime)

The point I'm making is that a $20 fine and 'teenagers only' is so far behind the curve as to be a joke.

Many people say they can multi-task and talk on the phone simultaneously with driving effectively; numerous research projects have demonstrated that even the best of us have their driving abilities reduced when talking on a mobile, especially when not using a hands-free kit. The worst of us become downright dangerous to the point of lethality.

If I get a call whilst driving I either pull over to take it or ask my passenger, if present, to take the call for me. Some of my friends turn their mobiles off during the journey. The point here is that I self-regulate, but I am glad of the existence of our 'mobile' law for those idiots who don't.

Q

stay off the friggin phone while driving!

oh, and for the adults, move over to the slow lanes while talking on the phone an driving. you're holding the rest of us up!!

Those of you who are all like "whats next, eating blah blah blah blah" STFU.

There is nothing worse than the 17 year old girl making left turns in an intersection when the light is red with her cell phone in her left hand not being able to see anything.

Not only should they give them a fine (Like $20 is a money maker or anything) but they should take their phone into custodey for 24 hours.

There is a real problem with this habit to talk while making critical manuevers, and safe lane changing etc. They do not use good judgement and there needs to be limits set. Parents cannot do anything about this because they do not see them doing it 100% of the time, but if they bring home a ticket maybe they will address it. I think all Cells should be banned only headsets.

-d

If you have a hands-free headset on for a call its just like talking to someone in your car. If people find it distracting then they shouldn't do it. We have driving education and tests for a license (are we saying these are useless?) There are a million things people can do in the car to distract themselves. Our job isn't to ban everything like the Taliban - its to educate people correctly and sufficiently.

You DONT want the govt banning things because then before you know it - everyone will be limited in their freedom to the lowest common denominator. Some risk in life is the cost of freedom. Freedom is worth the risk or one day we will eventually live our lives like controlled prisoners. And every step along that path happens so slowely you can't see it until its too late so don't let that creep forward, and accept laws that are too universal.

Banning non-hands-free cell phone use - that would seem logical as there is no limiting factor for people to really not use a headset (no excuse not to), but anything more is too controlling and limiting.

And what if there is an emergency and we need to stay in our car and make a call - jam it? What a fools idea.

Gun Ho should STFU. Education is a better solution to smokers. Rolling the window up and hoping they die a painful death is not the solution.

BTW: How did cell phone driving get a comment about smokers?

...what about their idiot parents that do the same, especially in large vehicles that make them a more dangerous threat on the road?

quite simply there are alot of people who do it, it should not be allowed, only hands free units only. The problem though while I agree its not only teens, teens are lesser experienced drivers and they are moreso prone to accidents early on. I am a pretty seasoned driver and while I to use my phone from time to time, I am aware to put my phone down so I can make turns without obstructing my view. Ever see a teen driving these days, not only can you barely even see their head, they are often times sitting almost in the middle of the car, at to that holding a cell phone up.

Hands free for everyone, fine people for first offenses and confiscate their phones after the 3rd. People can barely live without their cell phones these days. =)

Read book: John Stewart Williamson "With Folded Hands"

This rule should apply to ALL ages of drivers, and could be used as a basis for a lawsuit because it did not do that.

I'd like to see someone try to prove that adults text better while driving, and that makes them better drivers, so they dont apply to this law.

My guess is that the younger folks would easily beat the older ones.

The only reason the stats show higher percentages of young people with accidents while texting, is that there is a higher concentration of user at that age level.

I hope we can use common sense again in the near future, or at least be fair to some degree again.

It sure gets old to see rights being taken from us everyday, with nobody noticing... Or caring...

This law is basically a modification to the EXISTING law banning adults from using non-hands free phones while driving. That law (SB1613) was signed a couple years ago, and goes into effect next July. This law simply modifies (lessens) the penalty for teens, probably because their parents are the ones who are ultimately responsible for the fine.

You stated: "This law simply modifies (lessens) the penalty for teens"

It does A LOT MORE than that - the first line of the article reads...

"The law bans all usage, whether or not the driver is using a hands-free device"

While for teens, it bans ALL usage - even hands free usage! That is too far. And texting is once again ridiculous - they might as well ban making breakfast in your car too, and a million other things that you can do... See my other post

"Hands-free use should be allowed!!"

comerce , or arts

LOL, this cracks me up. How are they going to enforce this law? I am 26 and I can pass for 21 still. So if an adult is 21 and gets mistaken for being a teenager, what do we call that? Age Profiling/Discrimination? Another pointless law, this law would only be effective if it was representative of the general public, not a minority part.

Uh yeah they are actually, and its because they are teenagers and not adults and do not apply adult behavior.

Stupid is not a great word for it, but it applies. Unfortunately if you look on the streets today you see stupidity all over the place, teens driving laying back and being so far from the wheel, pedals, and windshield that you know they do not have the same perception because they just cannot possibly see everything from practically laying down in the back seat, add to that a cell phone, sorry stupid is the only thing that comes to mind.

Next thing you know they will be driving from the back seat using bungie cords, and broomsticks.

-D

No for drivers who are not seasoned, and easily distracted by car loads of friends, overly loud music etc, sorry no phones of any kind should not be allowed. My wife was in a head on accident with a kid (17) talking on the phone with his friend, he tried cutting across an intersection to beat oncoming traffic and instead hit my wifes car head on. Last month, my car was damaged ($1900) by a teen girl parking her parents SUV in a parking lot with a phone in her hand, sorry just not responsible enough to handle hands free or not.

You may be a teen in defense of this issue, but the fact is that its the majority not the manority of teens that really have no business using any phone while driving.

Most teenager deaths are caused by wreckless driving under the influence of something. People tend to concentrate on their callers instead on the road. This causes a big danger to the driver and the passengers. I'm behind Arnold all the way with this law.

I wonder how you would think a jammer would help in a productive way. If something were to happen to the driver, how would he call for help? This law creates a safe haven for people who are starting to drive. You got to remember that innocent lives are at risk when calling a person. Phone usuage should only be used for important calls. But I know how this law angers you, but he's trying to make a safe community for everyone.