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Chatting and Driving Banned in More States

Effective the first of January, a new cell phone driver distraction law took into effect in the states of Washington and Oregon.

The National Conference of State Legislatures has ordered the prohibition of talking on cell phones while driving for teens. But the new law in the Washington state has made it a different twist encompassing all drivers and banning them not only from talking on their mobile phones but likewise from sending text messages while behind the wheel.

Sen. Joe Simitian is responsible for the realization of the two driver distraction laws in California last July 1. One of these laws will prohibit drivers to operate wireless handsets but all talking on hands-free mobile devices though. The other law, on the other hand, deems it illegal for teenage drivers to use mobile phones and any other mobile electronic devices, which may include laptop computers and personal digital assistants (even with attached hands-free accessories). A twenty-dollar fine will be collected for the first violation of either law, while a fifty-dollar fine will be demanded for every additional offense. Of course, all 911 calls are exceptions to the said laws.

The new year is said to bear witness to other states establishing similar driver distraction laws with particular attention given to inexperienced drivers.

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger mentioned in his signing into law of the distraction bills that a California Highway Patrol study revealed that the use of mobile phone while driving leads the roster of “distracted driver” accidents in the said state. His office further emphasized the study spearheaded by Ford Motor Company that highlighted the fact that teen drivers are four times easily distracted compared to adult drivers. On the same note that car crashes are sited to be the leading cause of death reported among teenagers aging from 16 to 20 years. The said number in the Californian statistics accounts for more than 40 percent of teenage fatalities in the United States every year.

The District of Columbia plus fifteen other states have already implemented similar laws. California, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, and various other cities prohibit the use of hand-held mobile devices despite studies’ warning that hands-free devices do not considerable improve a driver’s concentration.

Chicago, on the other hand, is faced with a lawsuit after being alleged to have failed to put up appropriate signs that will notify drivers of existing restrictions of the use of handheld phones. The said case is demanding a refund of an approximate $2 million in fines that will be levied on the city drivers.

The National Conference of State Legislatures states that driver distraction legislation, particularly those involving the use of cell phones, have been existing for five years now. It further stated that in the year 2006 alone, 43 states welcomed the enactment of these distracted-driver statutes. Similar other precautionary measures have been studied and developed to minimize if not entirely prohibit the use of hand-held phones for those behind the wheels, while other bills are specially designed to keep these cell phones out of the hands of teens as well as school bus drivers.