By Adrian Pascua
By Adrian Pascua
If you drive while using a cell phone, don’t, it’s the law.
Govenor Schwarzenegger has signed a bill that will make it a moving violation to talk on your cell phone while driving.
The first time you are caught, the penalty will be a fine of $20; the second time you’re caught the fine increases to $50.
The bill is to go into effect in July of 2007.
Don’t worry though; you can still use a cell phone while driving, if you’re placing an emergency call or if you own a phone with the walkie-talkie feature.
The only other exemption is to use a headset while you’re driving or if you are emergency response personnel.
We all drive while using a cell phone, knowing that it’s dangerous to do so. It’s really no wonder that somebody finally put a ban on its use while driving.
According to California Highway Patrol, the number one cause of car accidents are cell phone related in California.
Every vehicle code that comes out of California spreads across the country like a wild fire, but in this case, California is not the first state to pass such a bill.
New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and the District of Columbia have already implemented similar laws, making California the fifth state to follow suit. So don’t think that you can run to another state to escape this law anytime soon.
This law isn’t something to take lightly, since the risk of death while on a cell phone increases by nine times.
Not only do you put yourself at risk, but you put everyone else on the road at risk as well.
I don’t know about you, but I really don’t want somebody else’s death on my conscience because of something as trivial as a phone call.
Many people are still somewhat against this bill, which is understandable. I mean, hey, nothing can possibly go wrong while driving on the freeway at 70 miles per hour and talking on the phone. No one’s going to pull out in front of you, clip your car, and send you into a spin. You really don’t need both hands on the wheel to have full control of the car anyway.
The Governor of California maybe taking a little bit of heat for this, but at least this law will save a few lives.
I’m not going to say that I don’t talk on my cell and drive at the same time, because I do, but I’m still for this bill.
It doesn’t matter whether you agree with the bill or not, this law will save lives.
Crashing your car, because you were distracted by your cell phone, is a sorry excuse.
There are cooler ways to die, but dying because you had to answer your phone on the freeway is not one of them.
This bill is actually one of Schwarzenegger’s best ideas so far, due to the fact that it makes the dangerous roads of California just a little bit safer.
Just remember, driving and talking on the phone will become a crime effective July 2007.