Cell phone ban takes effect 2008

By David Kassis
The Collegian

In an effort to make motorists more alert behind the wheel, beginning July 2008, it will become illegal to talk on cell phones while driving a motor vehicle without a hands-free device.

When that date comes, those found in violation will receive a $20 fine for their first offense, and $50 for each additional citation. While getting caught talking on your cell phone with your hands will cost money, it will not add any points to your driving record.

The new law, entitled SB1613, will exempt those making 911 calls, emergency personnel or those operating farming vehicles and commercial truck drivers.

According to the California Highway Patrol, data suggests that cell phones are the top cause of distracted driving accidents, and hands-free devices could help lower that figure.

Brandie Campbell, a communications specialist with the college of Health and Human Services, thinks the new law is fair. “A law such as this one will make driving safer,” Campbell said. “I think it was to be expected, and it will be a benefit.”

Even though motorists still have well over a year and a half to get used to the idea of only using hands-free devices while driving, Campbell has found that people are already starting to adjust to the law.

“People are starting to change their habits,” Campbell said. “They want to take a good approach and conform.”

David Clovis, a fourth-year music performance major, said he likes the idea of people focusing more on the road than talking on their cell phones. “A lot of people don’t use their full brain when they’re busy talking on the phone,” Clovis said. “Bad drivers are already out there, and when they talk on their phone they drive worse.”

While Clovis has a hands-free Bluetooth device himself, he admits to sometimes forgetting to use it. “I probably don’t concentrate enough when I’m talking while driving,” Clovis said. “I think it is going to be a lot safer out there on the roads.”

Campbell has also found that she cannot focus as well when she is trying to drive while using her hands to talk on a cell phone. “I am guilty of talking without a hands-free,” Campbell said. “It’s harder to focus when you’re talking.”

Overall, most cell phone companies are accepting of the new bill, but Sprint Nextel is not. Opponents of the law feel that there are many other causes to distracted driving, and it is unfair to single out cell phones. In a letter from Sprint Nextel to the governor, the company stated that drowsiness, smoking and the radio are just as much a distraction to drivers.

Senator Joe Simitian, a Democrat from Palo Alto, has been trying to pass this bill for six years, and it just recently reached Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s desk. California will follow in the footsteps of Connecticut, New Jersey, New York and Washington, D.C., who have put similar laws into effect.

Comment on this story in the News forum >>