The hands-free driving law has been in effect for almost a month in the states of California and Washington and so far, it seems to be working.  And it seems to be working even better for Bluetooth headset manufacturers.  Bluetooth headset sales have skyrocketed in California to four times the national average, according to a report done by The NPD.  The law has only been in effect for 24 days and already, people are becoming more conscience of driving with a hands-free device to become safer citizens.

Review of California Hands-free Law

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.

Bluetooth Headset Sales Soar

NPD said that California’s four largest markets — San Francisco, Sacramento, Los Angeles, and San Diego — saw a major boom in Bluetooth sales months before the July 1 deadline.

Statistics show that in March, San Francisco sold two times more Bluetooth headsets than the national average.  The truly outstanding thing is that in May, that number had risen to four times the national average in all four major cities.  This means that people are actually following the law, and trying to become safer drivers.

In comparison, other U.S. cities that have not implemented any hands-free laws saw Bluetooth headset sales fall below the national average.

Get a Bluetooth Headset Today!

I’ve been an avid Bluetooth user for the past year and I can’t think of a better way to be able to multi-task the safest way possible.  With technologies emerging and new devices coming out weekly, there is no better time to jump on the bandwagon and become a Bluetooth fanatic.

Hands-free laws are coming soon to a state near you.  You’ve heard the statistics and you’ve read the reviews, which is why hands-free laws are popping up all over the country.  Effective tomorrow, California and Washington will be the two newest states to jump aboard the hands-free bandwagon.  But fear not, your state will most likely be next.

 Review of California’s Hands-free Law

For the states of California and Washington, the hands-free cell phone driving law is effective tomorrow, July 1.  Here is a quick review of what the California law entails:

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. 

The Law is Coming … What Bluetooth Headset Should I Use?

You’ve got it right.  The hands-free law will soon affect every person throughout the U.S.  So far, only positive results have been shown from the hands-free law, therefore, many states will join in on the madness.  In order to to steer clear of any fines or tickets, here are Gammoth’s recommendations for the best Bluetooth headsets available on the market today.

Jawbone 2 Bluetooth Headset   

The Jawbone 2 is the next step in the integration of best in class noise elimination technology with personal design that is both humanistic and minimal. The Jawbone 2 continues with its creative design that makes for a fun, yet professional look. In the tradition of bringing together beauty and science, the Jawbone 2 is a miracle of miniaturization and is 50 percent smaller than the original award-winning Jawbone. 

BlueAnt Z9i Bluetooth Headset    

The BlueAnt Z9i Dual Microphone Headset is the latest in Bluetooth devices, combining cutting-edge technology with stylish design. Incorporating BlueAnt\’s revolutionary world class Digital Signal Processing solution - Voice Isolation Technology, the BlueAnt Z9i provides outstanding noise suppression, wind noise reduction and echo cancellation in both noisy and windy environments.

Motorola MotoPURE H12    

The first headset to feature CrystalTalk, the new Motorola MOTOPURE H12 is the future of audio technology, delivering maximum audio performance in even the noisiest environments. The MotoPURE H12 CrystalTalk with dual microphones has been designed to cancel background and wind noise, enhance your voice and channel pure, clear audio directly into your ear and experience the difference. The Motorola MOTOPURE H12 is an auricular masterpiece designed to look as it feels. Minimalist design diamond-cut alloys integrate perfectly with TrueComfort engineering.

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 …