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 September 16th 2007 8:05AM
Good discussions here but gvmnt don't really care about safety, all they really care about is covering their behind and collecting some extra revenue.
From NJ point of view.
1) people drive like crap
2) there are really no good mandatory driving schools which can teach people how to actually drive (the other day I saw an instructor let his student park in a turn so they can change seats lol)
3) laws are really not enforced because that's probably too much hassle (except speeding, seems to be one of the few religiously enforced)
4) even if there were driving schools, people that drive don't give a hoot so all is in vain anyway.
To the guy who said his dad is a doctor and if he didn't answer calls people would die. That's just plain out BS! What happens if he's sick and can't talk? Or if he needs to take a dump? Does he pack his phone there too? Ouch :-)
Is he also okay to drive 40mph over the speedlimit while talking on the cell phone because he needs to rush to a hospital? So what happens when a cop pulls him over and puts his conversation on hold for few minutes? I guess people die...
If he's THAT important then 1) he should probably have a driver, 2) the hospital needs to hire someone ASAP to cover for him if something happens to him (i.e. him killing somebody while driving and talking on the phone at the same time) because he's a HUGE liability.
Banning it for everyone would make more of an effect but I still support this nonetheless.
i just cant believe he's giving us the bird. haha hes still the terminator aight!
Age prejudice. What about drunks? I was rear-ended at a stop light 35-40 mph by a drunken 67 year old. No cell phone involved.