Free Republic

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- California will become the fourth state to ban motorists from holding cell phones while driving, under legislation Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger announced he would sign into law Friday. The governor's office said Thursday he would sign the bill in Oakland, ending a five-year campaign by Sen. Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto. Under the new law, which does not take effect until July 2008, Californians risk a minimum $20 fine for driving while talking into a phone -- unless they are using a headset, speaker phone, ear bud or some other technology that frees both hands while they talk. Drivers...

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger hinted last week that he might sign a bill by state Sen. Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto, that would prohibit hand-held cell phone use while driving. During a stop in Palo Alto, Gov. Schwarzenegger said, in response to a question about the bill: "We have to do something about the accident rate." He said use of cell phones while driving has surpassed alcohol as a cause of accidents. "It's the job of government to protect people," Gov. Schwarzenegger said, adding that he plans to enforce the proposed law within his own family. He said he has threatened his...

Motorists would be banned from using handheld cell phones - a problem blamed for thousands of vehicle crashes and fatalities - under a bill expected to be approved by the Legislature next week. Modeled after a New York City law, Senate Bill 1613 would fine drivers using handheld cell phones $20 for the first offense and $50 for subsequent offenses beginning Jan. 1, 2008. It would not apply to drivers using hands-free models and would exempt motorists using handheld cell phones in emergencies. And the legislation would remain in effect only until July 1, 2011, unless renewed. "Cell phones are...