Posted on 09/24/2008 8:10:45 PM PDT by South40
SACRAMENTO – Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has signed a law making it illegal to read or send text messages while driving in California.
The bill by Sen. Joe Simitian imposes a $20 fine for a first offense and $50 for repeat offenders using any electronic devices to read or send messages, starting next year.
Schwarzenegger says the law he signed Wednesday encourages drivers to keep their hands on the wheel and eyes on the road.
(Excerpt) Read more at signonsandiego.com ...
Now they have to figure out how to enforce it.
Another law, no effect, no consequences, intended or otherwise. I guess we oughta consider ourselves lucky!
I never have understood text messages. Why not just leave a voice message?
“I wasn’t texting. I was dialing”..
How can you tell the difference?
Just feel good non-sense.
Geez, does that mean I can’t surf the net on my laptop while driving?
My wife teaches and she told me long ago texting is how students cheat on exams. They just text the answers to each other when calling someone would be more conspicuous. Other than that I see no use for it. I never text; I have that feature turned off on all the phones on my plan.
The only text messages I receive are from Pennsylvania Amber Alert.
Sometimes it is nice if you just need something quick like a phone number from somebody. They can just text the information to you and it is in written form rather than having to find a pen and paper.
Does that include locomotive engineers? Or do Union Rules allow them to send and receive while operating?
Actually this is easy to enforce. Just sit at an intersection and look at drivers turnin the corner(they are slower)..take photos and send them a ticket. We have a game in our family of comparing the number of female to male violators making left hand turns in front of us with the phone at their ear. Fems..win..hands down.
/
So a train crashes because of texting and the result is a new law direcyted at automobile drivers?
More government intrusion into our lives.
Why not outlaw knitting while driving? Surely knitting is more distracting than texting.
Ban reckless driving, don’t single out one possible cause for reckless driving and ban it.
This law was passed and on the governors desk before the train wreck and had nothing to do with the train. It has been talk about since July when the hands free law started being enforced.
In one fell swoop they have solved the texting crisis! Phew! Now with that out of the way I guess they’ll get back to those little things like making a state budget. /s
You mean they have their phones in the classrooms? How crazy. Don’t schools have any discipline left? Just tell the kids all phones in the lockers, no phones in the classroom.
They can check for “emergency” calls in between classes.
Are the grown-ups still in charge or have they surrendered?
Well duh!!!........(screech. Crash)
This is so bogus. Like, OMG.
I’m posting this text message right now from the 405, and I really don’t see any pr ...
(connection interrupted)
I’m not a big fan of more laws, but this is OK. Maybe it will have a deterrent effect, and phone records can be used as evidence against Adam Henry’s that text themselves into someone else’s car.
“I never have understood text messages. Why not just leave a voice message?”
First, you can send one when you’re generally occuped. For me, I can send a text message to my girlfriend when I’m rounding on patients. I don’t have time for a full conversation, and well, it just sounds rude to be chatting away in the hallways on a cellphone in personal conversation.
Second, it’s probably a bit more polite to send a text message to someone who might be at work, occupied, or sleeping. They let you check in without sending their phone ringing.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.