YaMon

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I'm actually one of those guys that hates talking on the fucking phone to begin with. Outside of business, a cell phone should be used for short "where are you?", "when will you be home?", "can you pick up something to eat?" type conversations.

People in general are pretty fucking stupid when it comes to operating a motor vehicle. Put a cell phone in their hand and their outright lethal asshats.

California to drivers: Drop the cell phone, dude
Fri Jun 27, 2008 10:22am EDT

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Next week California will try to wrest cell phones from the hands of drivers, telling everyone from movie starlets and dot-com millionaires to surfers and soccer moms that conversations behind the wheel must be on a headset.

Several U.S. states and some two dozen countries around the world already have restrictions on mobile phones while driving but now such a law has come to California -- where the car is king and much of life is spent on the famously snarled freeways.

Californians interviewed by Reuters mostly supported the law requiring hands-free phones in cars and outlawing cell phones entirely for drivers under 18, which takes effect on Tuesday -- though they were puzzled by a loophole that allows seemingly more dangerous text messaging.

Others cast a jaundiced eye on lawmakers, who they blame for failing to build more freeways or public transportation in the face of increasingly gridlocked roads in the nation's most populous state and say hands-free conversations are no safer.

"I can't believe that (Californians) will put up with all these nanny, nit-picking laws," KFI-AM radio talk-show host John Kobylt told Reuters.

"It's stupid because we've gone over about seven different studies and each one of them says it's the conversation that distracts you, not holding the phone," he said.

TEXT MESSAGING OK?

Besides, he said, many Californians are forced to use their cars as offices while stuck on the freeway.

State Sen. Joe Simitian, who authored the bill, disputes those studies and says keeping both hands on the wheel is always safer. He expects his law to save hundreds of lives.

"There are more and more people out there on the highway and the CHP (California Highway Patrol) has collected data every year showing that cell phones are the number one cause of distracted drivers," Simitian said.

Fines for a first offense are $20 plus fees and $50 plus fees for subsequent convictions.

The Democratic lawmaker is working on a follow-up bill to outlaw text messaging in the car, which he says wasn't an issue when he began working on the first one in 2001.

Connecticut, New Jersey and New York already prohibit drivers from talking on hand-held cell phones, along with some two dozen countries around the world. In New Jersey, police have issued 35,000 tickets for using a hand-held phone or texting while driving since the law went into effect March 1.

But the random sampling of Californians interviewed by Reuters expressed ambivalence.

"On the one hand I don't want people crashing into each other, but I'm not going to go get an ear thing," 38-year-old bank employee Jason Fischer said in Los Angeles. "I'll give it up and then one day I'll make a call and get a ticket. I don't want a headset. I'm too lazy to get a headset."

Rachel Kucsulain, 36, said she rides her bike to her job as an administrative assistant in Los Angeles and wants cell phones taken out of the hands of drivers.

"I've almost been hit multiple times. I think it's totally a threat," Kucsulain said. "Two blocks from here someone (on a cell phone) turned on me as I was crossing a crosswalk. They were only inches away from me. It's just distracting."

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joerockhead

Who the F*ck is John Kobylt? Adn who cares what the bafoon says!

I am GLAD they have passed it, and hope Colorado follows this one law!

As a Rider, I am tired of retards with Cell phones weaving into my lane, not being able to see me for the phone in the hand, and then changing lanes on me. Hell, you see them damn near lying down and talking for miles!!!

Get a Headset, then you can easily look!!

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procol

I can't believe Californians will put up with paying higher insurance rates due to nanny fucktards who cause vehicular accidents because they can't stop yakking

licupssy

Here it's suppose to be a local option but being in a tri-state area you have to be prepared to follow PA, NJ and Del laws. With headsets going for $30 including shipping from sites like Amazon it don't make sense not to use a headset. Even at that I agree with Yamon that thay should be limited to the short "where are you?", "when will you be home?", "can you pick up something to eat?" type conversations. People who tie themselve up in long winded yacking don't have thier mind on the road.

State laws as of 6/08 http://www.iihs.org/laws/cellphonelaws.aspx

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I solemnly swear that I am up to no good! ~~~SWTWC

adrenaline

I don't even own a cell phone anymore. and only did for 2 years of my life.. I didn't care for them or their cost. Anyhow its practially every day you see someone not paying attention to what they are doing on the road. and then you see they are on their phone.

BackdoorJesus

I think it's a smart practice to not be talking on the cell while driving, but I am opposed to the government having to step in & make a law enforcing it.

Just like it's a smart practice to wear a seatbelt, but the government feels the need to step in & make a law enforcing that common sense practice.

Essentially, I am sick & fucking tired of the fucked up fucking government constantly sticking it's fucking nose in my fucking life and trying to fucking save me from myself.

Just because something is a good thing to do, you don't need a goddamn government regulation to enforce it, you need common fucking sense - and if you don't have common fucking sense then you should remove yourself from the fucking gene pool by continuing your stupid fucking behavior.

Fuckhead

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procol

onlyalad

"It's stupid because we've gone over about seven different studies and each one of them says it's the conversation that distracts you, not holding the phone," he said.

AAA says the same thing. When they find out that this law is meaningless, they will "put some teeth into it". Things like upping the fines, making it a primary reason to be pulled over, make it a point on you record ect. Just like the seat-belt law started out.
When they realize the real culprit is the paying attention to the phone and not what they are doing, they will change the law to no cell phones for everyone while driving. Then what is next? Radios, GPS, kids (more accidents have happen to me from this than distracted than from phones) singing, playing air drums on the steering wheel?

drktitan56

Come July 1st Washington State will also have the same law in effect.

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midnight_devilx

It's about time, for once, I hope Texas follows suit. I will not answer my phone when I'm driving, if I absolutely need to make a call (directions, mainly) then I pull into a parking lot and make the call, or have my passenger do it (if I have one with me) That's the way it should be!

skept

Aussie its already banned to use a mobile and drive... i think its like 3 demerit points (we get 12 merit points in total) and 200 or 300 buck fine....

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