So, the handsfree cellphone law has gone into effect here in CA.

[KitchenWitch]

It has not changed ANYONE'S behavior one iota.

x(

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. Actually, it starts in July...

At least that's what the paper said...

Then there should be a change!

I need to buy a headset...

:hi:

[KitchenWitch]

4. I thought I read that it was January 1st.

Oh well.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

7. The L A Times had a big old page on all the new laws...

And it clearly said, July...

I had to look at it twice to be sure...

[Oeditpus Rex]

22. Maybe you're thinking of the new law

that prohibits an adult from smoking in a car if there's a passenger under 18. That went into effect yesterday.

Note that it applies to any adult in a car, not just the driver — but it's the driver who'll be cited.

[MrCoffee]

2. is it a secondary offense law?

can the cops pull you over for talking on your phone without a handsfree set, or do they have to get you for something else (speeding, no turn signal) first?

[huskerlaw]

6. I believe it's primary

But the first offense ticket is only $20. $50 for the second offense.

[KitchenWitch]

11. They should make it $341, just like the carpool lane!

:evilgrin:

[huskerlaw]

13. Ouch!

The sad thing is, until people get used to the hands-free stuff, it'll probably be even MORE dangerous. I picture people frantically fumbling for their Bluetooth, which has fallen on the floor. Or people answering the phone regularly and then panicking as they remember they need the Bluetooth...

There really is no-win!

[KitchenWitch]

15. True.

But $20 fine for the first offense? I can pull $20 out of my couch cushions. Not much of a deterrent.

[huskerlaw]

16. Also true,

though the hassle of getting pulled over is also part of the deterrent. I believe that in most states (of the few that have cell phone laws) it's a secondary offense, meaning you have to be doing something else pull-over worthy before you can get tagged for the cell violation. So getting pulled over solely for talking on a phone is actually more harsh, even if the fine is low.

[huskerlaw]

3. Yup, July...

I know, I know. What ridiculous law goes into effect in JULY?

But I'm sorry, you have another 7 months. Not that anyone's behavior will change then either. :P

[KitchenWitch]

5. Damn, you mean I did not have to buy a handsfree headset until July?

x(

:hi:

[huskerlaw]

8. Nope! And you're free to text while driving until then too!

:evilgrin:

Actually, I need to get a Bluetooth for my iPhone. But I don't want to because those damn things look ridiculous. Sigh.

[KitchenWitch]

10. My phone is not bluetooth capable.

so I have the awful wire hanging down.

[huskerlaw]

14. Mine is, but

since it's the iPhone, it requires a "special" Bluetooth. I haven't quite convinced myself to buy it yet. ;)

[CaliforniaPeggy]

9. Well...look at it this way...

In June, the stores will be crazy with people buying them!

You can laugh at the rest of us!

[KitchenWitch]

12. true true!

:D

[dbackjon]

17. Personally, I think it is a stupid law

Handsfree or not, if you are talking on a cell phone, you are distracted. The law should be no talking on a cell phone while driving, or no law at all.


Who wrote the law, and do they own bluetooth equipment stock?

[huskerlaw]

18. I disagree.

We talk to other passengers in the car while we drive all the time. If the device is in your ear, it's no different.

What IS a problem is people trying to balance the cell phone, either by tilting their head at a weird angle to hold it between their shoulder and their ear, or by fully taking one hand off the wheel to physically hold it there.

[dbackjon]

21. See my response to the post below.

Research shows there is little difference between hand-held and hands-free usage as a distraction.

Another feel-good law that does nothing, except make people spend money on something that is useless to attack the problem.


It actually could make the problem worse by giving people a false sense of security, since people will rationalize "well, they didn't make hands-free cell use illegal, so it must be safe"

[huskerlaw]

24. I still disagree, but perhaps more to the point

the beast is out of the barrel. There is NO way a law banning cell phone use in cars would work. None.

Also, I don't know what the traffic situation is like where you live, but if someone told me I couldn't talk on my cell phone while sitting in traffic that's not even moving, I'd be right pissed off. I see absolutely no problem with talking on a hands-free cell phone while stuck in Los Angeles rush hour traffic.

Now should people be doing that while driving 90 on the freeway? Maybe not. But you can't legislate away everything that could potentially distract a driver. Might as well forbid traveling with kids in the car. Or dogs. Or music.

[Catch22Dem]

19. What?

How am I more distracted by a phone than I am by a person in the passenger seat, or singing along with the radio?

[dbackjon]

20. Well, if you get distracted by one, then you will be distracted by the other

People tend to concentrate greater on a cell phone (hands free or not) than when talking to a passenger.


And research has shown that there really isn't that much of a difference in distraction level between hand-held and hands-free cell phone usage.

July 12, 2005 -- Drivers who talk on a mobile phone are four times more likely to be involved in a serious crash, according to a new study.

Researchers found people who used a hands-free or regular handheld cell phone while driving were four times more likely to be involved in a serious crash within 10 minutes of the conversation.


http://men.webmd.com/news/20050712/cell-phone-use-while-driving-ups-crash-risk

These data demonstrate that the phone conversation itself resulted in significant slowing in the response to simulated traffic signals, as well as an increase in the likelihood of missing these signals. Moreover, the fact that hand-held and hands-free cell phones resulted in equivalent dual-task deficits indicates that the interference was not due to peripheral factors such as holding the phone while conversing. These findings also rule out interpretations that attribute the deficits associated with a cell phone conversation to simply attending to verbal material, because dual-task deficits were not observed in the book-on-tape control. Active engagement in the cell phone conversation appears to be necessary to produce the observed dual-task interference.

http://www.nsc.org/issues/idrive/inincell.htm

June 29, 2006 -- Three years after the preliminary results first were presented at a scientific meeting and drew wide attention, University of Utah psychologists have published a study showing that motorists who talk on handheld or hands-free cellular phones are as impaired as drunken drivers.

"We found that people are as impaired when they drive and talk on a cell phone as they are when they drive intoxicated at the legal blood-alcohol limit” of 0.08 percent, which is the minimum level that defines illegal drunken driving in most U.S. states, says study co-author Frank Drews, an assistant professor of psychology. “If legislators really want to address driver distraction, then they should consider outlawing cell phone use while driving.”

http://unews.utah.edu/p/?r=062206-1



This law, as I stated earlier, is STUPID, because all forms of cell phone usage is equally dangerous.

[Oeditpus Rex]

25. Try this experiment:

Drive for 10 minutes anywhere you wish while talking with a passenger or singing with the radio. At the end of the 10 minutes, recount stuff you noticed along the way — signs, descriptions of other cars, etc.

Now do the same thing, but on a different route, while talking on a cell phone. If you can recount the sights with the same detail, you have a superior mind for multi-tasking — but I'll bet the grocery money that you can't do it.

Note that this is the only time I'll ask anyone to TWD.

[Catch22Dem]

26. You don't want me to do that

I'm horrible while talking (to a passenger) while driving. Maybe that's why I made my other comment. For me, talking to a passenger is just as distracting as talking on a cell phone. :)

Your avatar is GREAT by the way.

[Dukkha]

23. well you can't make a law against stupidity and selfishness

if you could 75% of Americans would be in jail now

and people who use the headsets look really stupid

[tjwmason]

27. We've had it for a few years

It's only just making an impact.

I suspect that it will go like drink-driving - at first it's thought of (by the motorists can do no wrong squad) as a terrible imposition on the freedom of drivers, but over time it will (hopefully) grow to be accepted that chatting on a mobile whilst driving is dangerous and needs to be avoided.

[chknltl]

28. Here are some new Ca. Laws

I had heard something about your cell-phone law too so I took a quick look and found this. A little off topic but interesting enough to include here.

http://www.ocregister.com/news/with-a-new-1951774-year-come

That Kangaroo law is now in my "Things which make ya' go hmmm" file. They make "cleats" of all things from kangaroo??? The things one learns on-line!

Ca. is one of three with a cigarette law restricting smoking in a vehicle with minors, good for you guys! I'm betting that one will be a national law at some point.

Raising the minimum wage to $8hr. is another good one! :thumbsup: