Ever since mobile phone use was seen as a major form of distraction that causes enormous number of vehicular accidents in the United States, most states have adopted laws preventing drivers to use their cell phones while driving. Every state that enacted these laws has their own stipulations, and California is no exception.
California enacted three laws on the use of wireless communication devices and wireless telephones while driving. The first law imposes a ban on all Californian and non-Californian drivers to use handheld mobile phones while driving. Only the drivers are affected with this law; passengers can use their own cell phones while inside a moving vehicle. This law was implemented into effect July 1, 2008.
The second law imposes all drivers to use of hands-free mobile phones while driving. This law has its stipulations, primarily on the driver’s age.
Drivers aged 18 and up can use hands-free mobile phones as long as there are devices that provide hands-free technology, such as Bluetooth, earpieces, and the phones’ speaker phone function. In the contrary, drivers aged 18 and below are not allowed to use any kind of wireless communication device for speaking or texting while driving. This law was made effective on the same day as the aforementioned first law.
The third California law forbids the use of the texting feature of the mobile phone while driving. In this law, a driver may be penalized with a violation of the law if he is caught writing, sending, or reading any text based communications while driving. This law was implemented January 1, 2009.
These California laws are just part of the state government’s aim to lessen the incidences of road accidents. Distraction-related accidents can be reduced through proper education and implementation of safety driving. To know more about other laws that will prevent further accidents due to distractions, asking a vehicle accident lawyer would suffice.
0 comments
Post a Comment