Texting while driving officially outlawed in California
By Dusan Belic on Sunday, September 28th, 2008 at 6:35 AM PST In General
Starting from January 2009, texting while driving will be considered as an illegal action. Those that do it despite the new regulation face a $20 fine the first time and a $50 for each recurring violation.
“Banning electronic text messaging while driving will keep drivers’ hands on the wheel and their eyes on the road, making our roadways a safer place for all Californians,” said Schwarzenegger.
Everything regarding SMS is prohibited while driving — including sending, reading and writing text messages. You’ll have to get yourself a Bluetooth headset/car-kit in order to do some mobile work while driving. We did suggest this even before this regulation, though.
[Via: CrunchGear]
This is a joke. The existing ban on using mobile phones isn’t enforced and I see people trying to drive (dangerously) with one hand all the time. A $20 fine the first time and $50 subsequent? How about $200 and then $500 and a point on your license? Maybe that might have more of an affect.
Isn’t it also sad that you even have to legislate to try and stop people from doing dumb things while driving .. shouldn’t common sense and horror at the thought that you might kill someone as a consequence kick in?
I’ve almost been hit twice by somebody using cell while driving …maybe they’ll get me the next time …