Since July, Californians have been unable to hold their cell phones while driving the car. How, then, could it be necessary to enact a law prohibiting texting while driving? Apparently the Bluetooth-headset-boosting law of the summer left a giant loophole for the least intelligent, and most avid-text-messagers, to jump through. If you follow the letter of the law, you can still place your phone on the dash or console or passenger seat and text away.

Sounds pretty scary… but have no fear! The Terminator has come to save the day. As of this upcoming New Years Day (1.1.09) Californians will no longer be able to tap away at their teeny tiny letters and numbers while driving. I think it’s safe to say we’ll all be a little better off.

On Tuesday, July 1, the states of California and Washington will be under new law — all cell phones will be banned while driving.  Citizens of these states must use hands-free devices in order to be a law-abiding citizen.  Whether using Bluetooth headsets, Bluetooth Speakers, or a Bluetooth Car Kit, if you want to use your cell phone while driving, you must be hands-free.

A Look into the CA Cell Phone Driving Ban

Laws between states can be very confusing and sometimes a little overwhelming.  And while the new hands-free ban is approaching in less than a week in two more states, millions of people need to be prepared.  The best advice available whether you are in a hands-free state or not:  USE BLUETOOTH!

Here is the rundown for CA Drivers …

18 and older:  If you must talk on a cell phone while driving, you absolutely have to use a hands-free device beginning July 1, 2008.  If you break the law, your first offense will cost you $20 and it will be $50 for each subsequent conviction.  Additional fees may also be applied.

Younger than 18:  It is pretty simple for you … cell phones are completely banned.  You may not use a cell phone while driving and you may not text or use laptops.  This is a strict law and if you are under 18 and using a cell phone while driving, you will be fined.

Other Notes Regarding Hands-Free Cell Phone Law

Emergencies:  If you are in an emergency, it is ok to make emergency calls to police, healthcare providers, fire departments or other emergency agencies.  By all means, do this!

Points:  No points against driver’s licenses will be assessed.

Passengers:  Are allowed to use any type of cell phone while in the car.

PUSH-TO-TALK Device:  These devices are ok for those people who are licensed to operate a truck tractor or motor truck. 

Follow the Law — It’s There for a Reason

You might be a firm believer in hands-free technology or you may be completely opposed to this new law, but either way, you need to  follow the law.  If you break the theory behind the law down, it truly makes sense.

Scenario 1:  You use your cell phone and drive with one hand on the wheel

Scenario 2:  You use your hands-free device with two hands on the wheel

It is pretty clear that scenario two is the safest way to drive a car AND talk on a cell phone, which is why many states are hopping on the hands-free bandwagon.  To each their own, but hands-free laws and Bluetooth devices are here to stay … so join in!

The debate over hand-held versus hands-free has been going on for some time now, and although many people have formulated their own opinions on this touchy subject, a California researcher is out to support the upcoming cell phone ban. 

A study released Monday by Jed Kolko, fellow at the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC), estimated that 300 fewer people would die each year in traffic accidents in California due to the upcoming hand-held cell phone ban for California drivers.  More than 4,000 people die in traffic accidents every year in the state.

California Cell Phone Ban Effective July 1

Once July 1 rolls around for the state of California, you will be seeing a lot more hands-free devices and Bluetooth products stuck in people’s ears.  California drivers over the age of 18 must use a hands-free device in order to be following the law, while drivers under the age of 18 may not use hand-held OR hands-free devices.

According to the study by the PPIC, the study finds that California’s new hands-free law should save several hundred lives a year, based on statistics and experience from other states who have already enacted the ban.  The results of these laws show that mobile phone ownership is associated with higher traffic fatalities in bad weather and on wet roads.  With the hands-free law in effect, the fatality rates during bad weather, wet roads, and in rush-hour traffic have been reduced.

MSNBC Article

MSNBC posted this study and discussed the findings with Kolko.  Kolko tries to explain the reduction of fatalities in states with hands-free laws.

“It may be that drivers in states with hands-free laws are shifting their talking minutes to when they are not driving,” Kolko wrote in his study. “It could be that drivers find hands-free technology more cumbersome … (or that) the law in itself serves as an educational warning about the danger of talking on the phone while driving … (or) that hands-free technologies do reduce the physical distraction of using a phone, and earlier studies failed to detect this effect.” (MSNBC)

What Does This Study Mean for Me?

Well if you don’t live in California, you are in the clear, right?  Wrong.  This study supports hands-free driving laws across the country and believes that it can save lives.  Think about it realistically for a minute.  Would you rather drive with one hand on the wheel and one hand on the cell phone OR drive with both hands on the wheel and still be able to use your mobile device?  To me, it seems pretty clear.  Having two hands on the wheel is obviously the safest way to drive, and hands-free laws aim to show how much more safe this type of driving really is.

Bluetooth Technology

Bluetooth is the answer for hands-free laws.  From Bluetooth headsets to Bluetooth speakers, you can be “hands-free” and still have two hands on the wheel by using Bluetooth technology.  It is instant, safe and easy-to-use. 

As hands-free laws get passed throughout the country, we are going to see the transition of hype over cell phones to hype over Bluetooth devices.  But hey, the world is going blue and we are just jumping in …