By a vote of 8-2 SB 33 passed out of a Senate Committee and now heads to the Senate Committee on Appropriations. As a reminder, as of July 1, 2008 no person, regardless of age, can operate a motor vehicle while using a hand -held wireless telephone.
If passed into law, SB 33 will penalize teenagers based on “data that indicates that motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of teen fatalities, accounting for 44 percent of teen deaths in the U.S. CHP data reflects that cell phone use is most frequently identified distraction in accidents caused by driver distraction.”
True story. As I drove into the Rancho Santa Margarita library parking lot today a middle aged lady with an older van loaded with kids, had a cell phone crammed in the crick of her neck as she attempted to back out of a parking space. She was so anxious to make that call she struggled to multi-task, to speak and drive simultaneously. She easily could have caused an accident. My point is that there are many drivers, of any age, who are at risk by using hand-held cell phones to carry on a “vital” discussion or to send text messages.
What’s your thoughts about “red lining” over 250,000 16 and 17 year old CA. licensed drivers?
How many people have you passed on the freeway fixing their makeup, changing the radio station, reading a paper or drinking a cup of coffee as they motor down the road. These are also distractions for which there are no laws.
From a public safety perspective I can support the new law that applies to everyone but have a problem in targeting the teenager drivers.
Let’s analyze CHP accident reports AFTER the hands-free phone law has some history and actual data rather than jumping the gun.
L.G.,
Sounds reasonable to me. The kids at which this bill is apparently aimed have a tough enough time staying focused while driving. That’s one of the reasons they are theoretically prohibited from hauling their peers around with them until they gain sufficient experience. They are not the only irresponsible drivers – your mini-van mom is a great example. The worst example I’ve personally observed was the twenty-something woman I saw driving while applying mascara with one hand and chatting on her cell phone with the other. Don’t ask me how she managed to keep the car on the road – she was out of hands!
To be honest, with 1 teenager driving and the other about to…I am in appreciation of this! I tell my kids they are not to talk on the cell & drive but I think this just helps enforce what I say. Cuz we ALL know teenagers always do waht they are told. 😛
Seems to me we have law upon law upon law. Enough already!
One more intrusion into “private space”. Where will it stop?
“What is ominous is the ease with which some people go from saying that
they don’t like something to saying that the government should forbid
it. When you go down that road, don’t expect freedom to survive very long.”
— Thomas Sowell
E-mail reply to this story:
It’s actually more Draconian. I think you misread it. Here’s the
latest revision (3/19/07):
> This bill, on and after July 1, 2008, would prohibit a person
> under the age of 18 years from driving a motor vehicle while using
> a wireless telephone equipped with a hands-free device or while
> using a mobile service device, as defined. The prohibition would
> not apply to such a person using a wireless telephone or a mobile
> service device for emergency purposes.
Doesn’t this prohibit the use of any kind of cell phone —
hands-free included — by those under 18?
Here’s the URL:
http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/07-08/bill/sen/sb_0001-0050/sb_33_bill_20070319_amended_sen_v97.html
To the writer of the email. Perhaps I was not clear in my post. This Bill, if signed into law, would restrict “everyone” under the age of 18 to use any type of cell phone or to engage in text messaging while operating a motor vehicle.
I am pleased that Senator Tom McClintock voted no!