Arnold Schwarzenegger isn't as much fun as a Governor as he was in
The Terminator... just ask California's teen drivers. The former action movie star has signed a new bill -- which
we told you about in August -- into law, making it illegal for anyone aged 16 or 17 to use a mobile phone, pager, laptop, or handheld computer while driving a vehicle. Effective July 1, 2008 (the same day that California's ban on
non-hands-free mobile-use while driving takes effect), the state will begin to fine offenders $20 for their first incident, and $50 for each recurrent violation. The law is targeting teen drivers due to the wealth of statistics that demonstrate young motorists are more likely to end up in car accidents which result in death. According to reports, 13.6-percent of all fatal accidents are caused by teenagers, and studies show that car crashes are the leading cause of death for people between the ages of 16-19. "The simple fact is that teenage drivers are more easily distracted," said Schwarzenegger in a statement, adding, "We want to eliminate any extra distractions so they can focus on paying attention to the road and being good drivers." He then paused and remarked, "We just don't want to say 'Hasta la vista, baby' to young drivers anymore."
posted Sep 16th 2007 8:05AM
so if 13.6% are teenagers, why not do what CT did, ban it for everyone? Ah, yet another case of blaming the children for everything. Like the cops back in my day, rather bust us for skateboarding than bust the kids down the street for selling crack. Good times, thanks for bringing back memories terminator.
Why pick on teens? They can't vote!
@psyche
Sure at 17 you can't vote. But, what happens the following year? 18 years old and straight into the voting booth. So this is not the smartest move here. I'd agree with everyone else posting here, this ban should go all across the board. Anyone can get into a car accident when distracted with/by a cell phone.
Being superstar doesn't justify you pointing your middle finger as and when you like it, Arnold!
I live in NY and it is banned for everyone. None of the police officers follow the law and ticket offenders nor do they ever stop them. It was so blatant after a set of Rochester girls were killed in an accident that may have been related to text messaging that FOR A WEEK they would start penalizing people. Its not just teen drivers, its all drivers that are distracted from cell phone use. Interesting to note that these kids won't be voting for Arnold later.
What are the cops going to do? Stop every person talking on a phone and if they are an adult just let them go? Thats stupid.
And how many 18 year olds vote?
Well, there's the ones that are well educated, plus the ones that are pissed...
Then there are omniarchists like me who resent our lack of suffrage.
Base voting on IQ if you must, but leave age out of it.
He's a douche. Age is a small determining factor in your inability to multitask, it's discriminatory to decide arbitrarily that that is the reason for accidents. I think it should be linked to your ability to multitask. I'm sure the DMV can come up with some test that throws multiple inputs at you and tests your ability to process all of them.
I mean there may be some 16 year olds out there that can't drive and talk, but I'm betting there are a lot more 60+ year olds that couldn't do the same thing.
He should of just made it a universal ban like we have here in the UK. Anyone caught using their mobile whilst driving gets and instant fine and 6 points on their driving licence (12 points means you're disqualified from driving)
I misread the headline at first and thought they were saying he signed the ban whilst he was driving .
So 86.4% are not teenagers, then how are they helping?
A shame. This law needs to be vetoed. We need idiot teens to self select themselves out of the gene pool. How will humanity retain its fitness if we continue to eliminate every method of weeding out those that we don't want swimming in the gene pool? It's a shame that they do bend lots of nice cars in the process though, but it's the price one must pay to weed out those who can't be bothered to pay attention to the job at hand when operating dangerous machinery.
The law is good, but it should extend it for everybody (like we have in Italy). You can't imagine how people are distracted when they use a cell while driving.
In the UK the ban also applies to everyone, which I think is the right way to go.
Same here in Australia, talking and driving is a pretty serious offence and there are some large fines for it. I can't believe how little it is in the U.S. though, here I'm sure it's at least $200 but $20!? That's peanuts, you need to shock the hell out of people and the way to do that unfortunately is with a huge fine.
As a pedestrian I've had so many close calls with assholes who drive and use their phone at the same time. No call is that important you should have a phone stuck to your ear and drive at the same time. I guess Bluetooth headsets do help, but I'd prefer it if people just stopped talking on the phone + driving altogether.
Replying to DAZA's post:
My father is a doctor and if there had been instances in the past where he didn't answer a call while driving, patients would have died. No kidding.
Yes, my dad always uses a handsfree)
I understand that use as a doc would need to answer the phone but to my knowledge (i live in the UK) a handsfree kit is perfectly legal while driving and i have no problem with people using them.
My post with reference to the last line of DAZA's post.
Quoth the Governor:
"It's not a rumor!"
Wait, did you mean "It's not a tumor"? From Kindergarten Cop, right?
Gold star for Rob.
Thank you, thank you. I'm here every Thursday night.
Thank you.
*WOOOOSH*
I was elected to lead, not to read.
If teenagers are responsible for 13.6%, what's he doing about the other 86.4% who are presumable adults?
I the UK, everyone is banned from using a phone while driving, and there are much more serious penalties - £60 fine (around $120) and 3 penalty points on your licence.
Considering that teens represent only 6.3% of all drivers in the US, being involved in 13.6% of all fatal car accidents is a disproportionately high number. Drivers aged 16-19 have a fatality rate that is 4 times higher than drivers aged 25-69, according to a 2004 study.
Maybe they should ban the car not the cell phone if they are going off the studies alone. None of the studies link any of the fatalities are caused by driving while using a cell phone.
$50 for repeat offenders? So he expects them to be back?
"They'll be back."
This is something i would get behind and applaud .. but exactly why only teenagers ?
Because adults might have important business to attend do, so they allow them hands-free. Teenagers would just be talking about who broke up with who, who is giving BJs to who, and pointless etcs like that.
Teenagers have very little experience operating motor vehicles - it takes at least five years of driving to have a firm grasp of your car's physics. My guess is that California will test the waters with this bill, and when teen accidents drop they'll expand the law to apply to all drivers, which I think they should.
Good, hell, I think they should extend this ban to everyone.
I am sick of seeing people with their cell phone up to their ear while driving. Not to mention they drive like maniacs.
The only legal thing would be to use a hands free set up or one of them blue tooth things on your ear.
Even if it does appear that you are talking to yourself.
"The only legal thing would be to use a hands free set up or one of them blue tooth things on your ear.
Even if it does appear that you are talking to yourself."
Err no. Just because it's handsfree doesn't mean the call is any less distracting/disruptive of driver attention and reaction times.
but at least they have both hands on the wheel.
hp45 is right .. its not the hands on the wheel thats the problem .. its the distraction ... nobody can multitask without giving priority to one thing over another .. not even women ;?
So you're saying that there should be a ban on having a conversation in a car? How about listening to the radio?
And how exactly is talking with handsfree cell use worse than having other persons in the vehicle? At least going hands free, my scan of the road remains the same as if there were no one in the car with me. Of course, you could say that most folks wouldn't be smart enough to simply let the convo go if something happened to the handsfree connection, BT or wired...
Because the passengers can stop talking when they see something happening on the road which might distract the driver. Because the cognitive load when listening to a person via phone is far higher than when talking to someone in the car - the compressed, lower quality sound is harder to interpret. It has been shown time and time again that talking on a cell phone - hands free or not - gives you the reaction times of someone on the drink drive limit. The same has not been shown for having a radio or passenger in the car.
"So you're saying that there should be a ban on having a conversation in a car? How about listening to the radio?"
Think about when you're in the car driving and listening to the radio, then compare it with talking. It's not exactly the same part of your mind at play here. The radio is more of an ambient surrounding.
Now with a conversation in the car, even then, while distracting, not so much as talking on you're cell phone. You can actually see a person sitting next to you, they're talking to you. When you're on your cell phone, you still visually try and picture the person you're talking to you. You have to ACTIVELY engage in the conversation. It's a much larger distraction.
In New Jersey, it's a $50 fine the first time then they execute you the second time. There are no third time offenders. People still do it, and they still drive like assholes, but really... hasn't that always been New Jersey
"You have to ACTIVELY engage in the conversation. It's a much larger distraction."
Maybe that's why people are so much more likely to become irate when I speak to them via the phone in the car...'cuz I actually care more about the road than themselves.
Alas, I will have to resign myself to the fact that most people just can't handle this level of multitasking.
Btw, I will gladly take that reaction time test. Not trying to be smug, but it would be very interesting to see quantifiable results!
This sounds like a job for the Mythbusters.
it's a decent attempt...but seriously, this does nothing in the end, especially considering if they are expecting repeat offenders...
btw, how important are you that you just HAVE to take the call while you are driving?
So, I guess this means that teens talking on their cell phones will be....terminated?
are you all blind? learn to read the fine print. this is one of 2 bans. the first being a ban of non-handsfree across the board. you can not catch someone using handsfree. he just made it seem like he was targeting them by adding handsfree to the list of bans for 16-17 year olds. sometimes you idiots read 3 words of an entire article and start shooting your mouth off. bunch of retards, probably from america.
Hallelujah
I was feeling alone in a sea full of retards
who don't read. Agree with you Moe.
Thank you. I, too, was feeling like I was the only one who could read past 2 lines, in addition to other articles on the Internet regarding cellphone "bans" throughout the country. California will have 2 laws. One requiring hands-free use by adults, the other banning all cellphone usage by "inexperienced" drivers, namely teens. This is similar to Connecticut's law, which bans any cellphone usage by anyone with a learner's permit. This includes hands-free accessories.
And I don't know why everyone is acting like he created this bill..he only has to sign it or veto it..it first had to go through TWO houses of law before it got to him.
no shit! i was hoping i wouldn't have to get to the bottom of the page before i found someone who could read the whole damn article. these are the idiot fanboys who freak out about the 3 words in every engadget post that pulls at their sensitive heart strings...
I totally agree that all people should be banned from speaking on the phone. Teenagers are a small (high risk) demographic. I am sure if someone did a study on motor vehicle accidents with mobile phones that teenagers would only be a small part of that.
Too little if you ask me.
Down here in Australia, well, at least Queensland, I do believe we have an across the board ban.
In my opinion it should only be teenage GIRLS... but they never pay attention to the road anyway.
Another Bureaucratic waste law brought to you by the country of Kaw-ly-phorn-ya.
I say, ban all cellphone use (driver only) unless handsfree (and NO txt y drvn, . !)
Also, ban all license tag covers. you know, those useless, yellowing covers that idiots put on their plates to hide their tags. You don't own those plates, the state does. And it obstructs those of us that want to rat your ass out for poor driving or hit-run scenes.
You are a "teenager" until you reach the age of 20. You are not an adult until you reach 21. Yet some argue that 18 is adult. So you can be drafted from 18-40. You can drink at age 21. But you can drive as early as 15 (farm license) or 16 (with permit). Your brain isn't fully developed (in certain decision making area) till age 25.
This Rant brought to you by the letters C and A. But not from Canada.
relax will you ?
i think that handsfree should be banned also - the check is simple .. if he has the earpiece on .. its a violation .. simple and effective.
"The simple fact is that teenage drivers are more easily distracted" - oh, good that things are just as simple in life and always depend on just one circumstance. It couldn't have to do with driving expierience or other things... duh.
clearly we need to ban talking at all while driving, in fact, since people are prone to sing along with their radios, we better ban car radios too. That will fix everything and keep us from being responsible for our actions. Bless big government, they will save us all.
Here in The Netherlands its also for everyone. I'll cost you about €180 ~ $250..
Wow, I'm glad I don't live in California...
I'm glad they did it, but $20 isn't enough. If you can get fined $100 for something that isn't a danger to hurting anyone, like having your plates just expired, then they can fine just as much for using a cellphone while driving. I'd say hit 'em $100 the first time, $200 the next and go from there, that'll put a stop to it.
i don't know what the big shock behind this is.. in Ireland everyone is banned from using a phone while driving. Thats why people have hansfree on loudspeaker so they just press "answer" and you hear caller through the speakers.
as a pedestrian I think all driving penalties are not strict enough. if you run red lights you are a menace to society. You are a direct threat to my life. you deserve to become a pedestrian. there is no constitutional right for someone to drive. if you offend a second time, you become a pedestrian forever. if you speed your fine should coincide with your current salary and as a first time offense your paycheck is the penalty. second offense percent of all your paychecks. the list goes on, but on a less serious note maybe there should be a blanket ban of all women, asian, and most of all asian women drivers!
The same thing can be said about pedestrians, if you jaywalk they should be fined, ticketed, etc... They do cause accidents. Haven't you heard women drivers have a lower insurance rate than male drivers because according to statistics they are involved in less traffic accidents that male drivers. What's with the asian racist remark?
you have got to be kidding me. women are the worst drivers as they get distracted by far more things then men. Asian drivers just suck, its not racist or discriminating, they can't drive. p.s. a women pulled over will receive less fines then men pulled over...and we all know how bad the cops in the states can get.
My own encounter with a young little Asian woman was not exactly stellar.
She was driving in the opposite lane of traffic and the middle turn lane decided to end around there... so she improvises... and uses my lane as a turn lane... I'm forced to sit there and wait as cars go around me, not letting her turn left and me completely stuck there.
Yeah... that sucked.
@ tj, Moe, ignatius. As an Asian, a driver, and a human, i find that generalization offensive. I learned to drive in Germany where higher speed is the norm, obedience of speed limits is offset by a +/- 3kph tolerance, and lane discipline is strictly observed. What if i said to you that by your rational of using statistics, (U.S.) American driver's are the worst i've encountered, compared to the areas of the world i've driven in as a civilian and Dept. of Def. member. That includes Asia, Europe, England, Mexico, West Indies and U.S. I have been driving for 20 years, restricted to getting my license until the age of 18 (by parents as is the general rule for most people overseas) and wasn't taught to drive by my high school gym teacher at 15mph, weaving through orange cone situations. The only other place that has as "comprehensive" drivers ed program is india. (drive forward, reverse, you're done..)
I'll hold my driving record against anyone else's, anyday.
It's offensive to you that some Asian woman got in front of me and nearly caused a huge accident?
How... how is that possible? She was freaking out the whole time and had no clue what she was doing.
In cases like these when you discriminate against race, sex, age, etc... Its not racism, sexism or any other ism. They call it statistics.
The fine should be $50 for all violations, and should be adopted in all states. Stupid teens.
AHAHAHAHA! AHAHAHAHA! AHAHAHAHA!
A lot of outrage, very few actually RTFA: Cell phone use will be banned for EVERYONE unless they have a hands-free set on Jan 1 08. Teenagers only will be completely banned.
The law is pretty reasonable. It doesn't solve the problem that teens drive like retards, but it also doesn't hurt, as driving like retards while on the phone with your friend is quite possibly worse.
A fried of mine died when he wrapped his car around a tree at age 19. It was impossibly tragic. Happened over 10 years ago but I just thought of him today. His twin brother was never the same.
So, am I the only one to notice that this article says the law is effective JULY 1, 2008, but the linked article (below) says that the statewide-ban is effective JANUARY 1, 2008 -but says it is the same day??
Oops! Just thought I'd bring it out...
http://www.engadgetmobile.com/2006/09/15/california-to-go-hands-free-in-the-car/1#c7608742
Yes, I noticed this too but wanted to see if anybody else replied about it before I did. Good catch.
It's obvious from reading all the comments that most of the repliers did not read the article, especially regarding the two separate laws. So you wonder why a law regarding people not paying attention to what they're doing is going into effect?
So are both laws in affect in July 08?
I'm really glad you're in favour of teens using mobiles while they drive especially Kalifornian teens, with a bit of luck they'll all drive off of Dead Mans Curve and the world will be a better place!
steve
I'd say just ban teen driving, period. Any age group that find amusement in recklessness to the degree teens do shouldn't be on the streets, no less out in public.
Actually, just ban teens, period.
Oooooooh, $20. That's gonna stop 'em.
Seriously? Try adding another zero to that.
does someone wanna explain to me how the hell you could use a laptop while driving? i understand war driving but that involves a passenger but really are kids actually using laptops while driving?
I once saw a guy playing DS while driving, I took a photo then I realized I was a guy taking photos while driving...
oh the irony!!! LOL!
The real problem here is that humans are driving. If you see me with a laptop on my dash, it will probably be doing cruise control, lane tracking, and helping me navigate.
Awesome but $20 or $50 is what these kids spend in an hour at the mall...
This ain't gonna work specially with celebrities...fines like these should be percentages of your (or your parents) monthly income...
For little unemployed Jane Doe: $125.06
For little celebrity Amanda Bynes: $35,563.02
(ok she's like 21 but you get the point)
You teenage drivers kill more people every year than adult drivers, quit whining :D.
(just ask my brother, killed by a teenage driver 12 years ago)
This is a good first step. Teen drivers are dangerous , just as very old drivers are. However it is for different reasons. Thing is, by using a handsfree, you get another hand to help with the steering wheel. But most of the accidents are not caused by the drivers inability to physically move the steering wheel. It is because their brain is multitasking an not giving full attention to the road. Hence, handsfree is still very dangerous and has been proven in at least one study I know of. As is putting on makeup, playing with your IPOD, stereo, etc. I assume what happened is that this is a compromise. There were no doubt some that were pushing a full ban, but this is all the votes they could muster. There should be a reduction, but it will not be dramatic until they get peoples full attention back on the road.
I actually live in California and people already drive like shit here. I was just in an accident with a 25yr old and guess what part of the blame said on the police report?
Yep, this dipshit ran a red light while yapping on a cell phone and slammed right into us. I personally think people as a mass tend to act like morons. Something like this is great but I doubt it will be enforced as harsh as it should. Too many times have I been behind someone on the freeway that seems to be driving too slow or swerving and I get around the and look at them and the idiot is text messaging while driving the freeway. Like I said I like people on an individual level but as a mass F'n idiots!
How exactly are they going to enforce this? There is no way to tell how old the driver is except by the way they look. If I am 18, and on a cell phone, and the police pull me over, for being on the phone, guess what? I broke no laws. There is no probable cause, and the action of the police detaining someone because of the way they look breaks all sorts of citizens rights, and discrimination laws.
I live in CT and their doing the right thing: its illegal to talk on your cell while driving (adult or teen) unless you are using a handsfree device. People still do it, but its alot less and you feel a little safer on the road.
Good for him. wish my state would do the same, teens need to concentrate on driving, not using electronics. the percentage of crashes in the first 2-3 years of driving is ridiculous and studies have proven that cell phone use makes a driver's reactions actually worse than someone drunk. They should make all cell phone use in cars illegal everywhere. I'd rather call back later after driving than die.
I work in Overland Park, Kansas ... the city put in to effect the same thing except it applies to everyone.
The police completely do not enforce it unless you drive a car less than $10,000 or are a minority ... soccer mom's in their SUVs and Hummers apparently are exempt from the law.
Police would spend 100% of their time enforcing it if they did.
i think this law is very usefull! and notice that in other countries, austria for example (where i live, so my english is not perfect), this law exist for a long time!
Why? It was a damn 20ish looking asian female that hit my car while texting and driving, not a 16-17 year old.
Don't make it just for teens, and if you do, extend it to 30 years old or higher.
And if they won't do THAT now, then add in ANY asian female of any age too.
In WA they passed a bill banning text messaging and driving for everyone. Many accidents like yours have happened!
I agree its a stupid thing to do, but most people 8-30 are text message addicted, myself included. I usually ask a passenger to read them I might read at a stop light and respond later.
Wow, the likeness of that wax dummy is amazing!
Damm, now they're even signing bills while driving?
Some people think they can do anything behind the wheel...
Last time I checked, talking on the phone while driving, wasn't worth your life, or the life of another.
Let's say you don't die, but just lose an eye, or the use of your leg. Is that worth it?
How about if you just break your hand, or a couple of fingers? Is that worth it next time you want to type in a comment?
Remember, driving isn't a right, it's a privledge in California. On July 1, 2008, if you're jabbering with a phone up to the side of your head, regardless of age, you're going to get a ticket.
As a teen driver (not a resident of the state of CA, but...), I both see the good and the bad in this law. In a nearby community, we had a teen die earlier this year because we was driving while texting. That was a shock, but also proved a point to many local teens. I support that part.
However, there are downsides to this law, and some hypocrisies. The law encompasses ALL mobile electronic devices. This means not only talking on cell phones, but texting on cell phones, changing songs on iPods, or even having a laptop on in the car (why you would, don't ask me). The law says that you can't change songs on your iPod, but you can change CDs and radio stations. I personally find changing CDs more distracting than changing songs on my iPod, because I know where the song I want is on my iPod, and I can go there quickly. Not the same with CDs. Also, having talked to many adults about this, they say that talking on a cell phone is no more distracting than talking to someone in the car. So while CA is at it, why don't they ban radio use and having a conversation with passengers?
What makes lawmakers think that magically sometime between 17 and 18 teenagers change? They don't. Trust me.
And lastly, honestly, beyond simply knowing that it is the law and I should not violate it, $20 (really even $50) is not going to keep me from using my iPod while driving.
Sorry, I needed to vent. And I don't even live in CA.
And hey, one last thing: I don't talk or text on my phone while driving. But I think if there is an emergency, I should have the option to do so. My parents made not using my cell while driving a ground rule for giving me the keys. But they have told me that if there is ever an emergency, and I need to call them badly, to do so. This law wouldn't even let me do that. And as commenters above have mentioned, what about unlawful detainment?
Know what else they should ban while driving? Everything but driving. That includes putting on makeup, eating, operating anything that isn't attached to the car or is required for the car to function (i.e. radio is fine, GPS is fine, etc.).
I think this is an excellent law and I think a good combination of the "hands-free only" law going into effect at the same time. Last think we need on the road is unexperienced, distracted drivers using only one hand (or less).
"How about (a ban when) listening to the radio?"
This was actually contemplated in the States decades ago when the first car radio came about. As there were apparently few driving-while-listening related accidents, this was deemed to be a non-issue.
Cell phones and driving just don't mix! How many people will have to be killed until we have more stringent laws? I have people in my company that wait their drive home or to the office to set up conference calls. Or attend conference calls while driving! Another day, I was in a cab and I saw a lady pick up the phone to answer a call and rear end the car in front of her, fortunately she wasn't at a in high speed!
This isn't new... This has been a law in Minnesota for like a year and a half... I really don't notice a difference, people still suck at driving.
The problem is when prople in power get too old their brain cells die no one in office should be over 60 period
Well in my neighboring state (OR) they disallow driving with passengers until 18. How then is this much different? The idea is making sure they have a few years experience driving before they add more distractions. An experienced driver can handle many distractions while still keeping the car under control. My friend Tom used to say "My Dad could fiddle with the radio, eat, turn on the windshield wipers, yell at us, and swat at us in the back seat with a newspaper all while driving." Granted this is an exaggeration but any one of these things alone can and has easily caused a teenager to wreck. I have also been in the car with 16 year old girl and when there was an animal crossing the road she screamed and took her hands off the wheel. This is all mainly due to the fact of driving instinct (how to react in danger) has not yet been developed. Do you ever get into a conversation with a passenger and go on "auto-pilot" where you end up at work or home? Unexperienced drivers don't yet have this, they usually interrupt the conversation to ask where to go. Or say "is this the right way?" Most of you guys also have been ignoring the fact that the law banning "non-handsfree talking" for everyone is that effective that same day. This law just says no distracting devices at all till you are 18. This is a very good idea and will hopefully save lives.
Wait, so using a cellphone while driving is a distraction? Next they'll be telling ya objects in the rear view mirror are closer than they appear!