New CA motorist law for teen drivers!!!



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IT'S A START!!

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/state/20070914-9999-1n14notext.html

'Hands-off' driving law is OK'd for ages 16, 17

Young motorists caught using gadgets face fines
By Michael Gardner
COPLEY NEWS SERVICE

September 14, 2007

SACRAMENTO - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has sent a message to young
drivers: no text messaging, no cell phone calls, no using laptops.

At least not while behind the wheel.

Schwarzenegger signed legislation yesterday that will make it illegal
for drivers younger than 18 to engage in such activities.

"It will save lives. It's really that simple," said state Sen. Joe
Simitian, a Palo Alto Democrat who carried the measure, Senate Bill
33.

Schwarzenegger's signing ceremony in Redwood City took place almost a
year to the day after he approved legislation that bars all drivers,
regardless of age, from using hand-held cell phones while navigating
the road.

But the new law tightens restrictions on 16-and 17-year-olds by
prohibiting the use of any kind of cell phone while driving.

"If you're 18, it's hands-free. It's hands-off if you're under 18,"
Simitian said.

Both laws will go into effect July 1. Violators face a fine of $20 for
the first offense; $50 for each additional ticket. There is an
exemption for emergencies.

Schwarzenegger, who has two teenage daughters, said his family lives
by the law.

"I told my daughters, 'I'll get you the car. I'll get you the cell
phone. But if I see you one time using both at the same time - both of
them are gone. The car will be gone for a long time, and the phone
will be gone for a long time, and you go to school with the bus,' " he
told a crowd of students at the signing.

The Republican governor took the opportunity to encourage the students
to hang up and power off now, rather than wait until July 1.

"Start that right now," he urged them. "You could lose your life, or
you could go out there and cause a lot of damage to other people's
vehicles and lives. So take that really seriously."

Many young drivers say they already do.

"I just started driving and I wouldn't think of doing it," said 18-
year-old Samuel Wagner of Lakeside, who recently obtained his license.

"If you're driving around in a three-ton death machine, it's probably
a good idea to pay attention," said Wagner, a Cuyamaca College
student.

Connie Tucker, an instructor with A-AAAffordable Driving School in
Normal Heights, said she constantly tells younger students to steer
clear of electronic devices while driving, including fiddling with
iPods, texting or using hands-free headsets.

"We tell them that the cell phone is their enemy," Tucker said.

Simitian said it seems counterintuitive to ban drivers from talking on
hand-held phones - but not prohibit older motorists from taking their
hands off the wheel and their minds off the road to send text messages
or e-mails while driving.

Simitian said he feared losing support for the bill if he included
drivers 18 and older in the ban on texting and using laptops.

"Let's not risk a life-saving effort by trying to reach too far,"
Simitian decided.

He said he can "circle back around" in a couple of years with more-
restrictive legislation depending on how effective the new law
becomes.

The dangers of sending text messages via cell phones or other
electronic devices has been documented regardless of age.

Last month, an 18-year-old driver in Phoenix who was text-messaging
hit another car, killing herself and the other driver. In 2005, a
Sacramento area police officer was struck and killed by a 26-year-old
driver who was texting a friend while driving. Police suspect text-
messaging played a role in a horrific head-on crash this summer in New
York state that killed five teenagers who had just graduated from high
school five days earlier. The 17-year-old driver had been text-
messaging just moments before. She was among the dead.

"It's a widespread and dangerous phenomenon we're trying to address,"
Simitian said. "I understand access to the car keys and cell phone are
a teenage rite of passage. But the combination of these have proven
deadly."

Critics say government should not regulate behavior. During the floor
debate in the state Capitol, Sen. Tom McClintock, R-Thousand Oaks,
said he wanted his daughter to be able to communicate with him at any
time, even while behind the wheel. Other distractions - such as
eating, changing CDs or applying makeup - are just as dangerous,
critics say.

A study by the California Highway Patrol last year concluded that cell-
phone use is the No. 1 driver distraction that causes accidents.

Nationally, surveys indicate that car crashes are the leading cause of
death among 15-to 20-year-olds, amounting to 6,000 teen drivers or
passengers killed every year.

Of the 23.3 million California drivers, about 268,000 will be affected
by the legislation. There are 82,174 licensed 16-year-olds and 186,025
licensed 17-year-olds, according to the Department of Motor Vehicles.

Perla Perez, 18, of Rancho San Diego says driving and using gadgets is
"really reckless. ... They don't only have their own lives at stake,
but other lives at stake."

Preeti Purhoti of Rancho Peñasquitos, a mother of two daughters ages
16 and 19, said she is on the fence about the proposed law.

"I don't like all the dialing (while driving) but it might be OK if
they have an earpiece," she said.

"It's different for different kids. Some abuse (cell phone privileges)
and talk all the time when driving," Purhoti said.

Cell phones have come in handy when her daughters have gotten lost,
she said. "They'll call and I can tell them where to turn if they
don't know where they are. It's helped a lot at night," Purhoti said.
"I like being able to reach them anytime. If I call and they're out
driving for a long time and don't answer the phone, that's also a
worry."

Another parent, Carolyn Epple of San Diego, said her 18-year-old is
"totally into texting". Epple thinks the legislation is a great idea
and should include adults as well.

A few years ago, Epple said, she was involved in a car accident in
which she was hit by a man who was distracted because he was talking
on a cell phone.

"I think the law would make a difference. I think if the penalties
were more severe, they would be a little more effective," she said.
"Twenty dollars is nothing to most kids."

Philip Okun, whose daughter Natalie is a junior at Carlsbad High
School, said he had mixed feelings.

"I tell my kids, 'When you're driving I do not want you on the phone,'
" Okun said.

"I've seen kids at the high school texting while driving and it scares
me."

California's legislation is not breaking new ground. Fifteen states
restrict the use of wireless communication devices by young drivers.

Seventeen magazine recently conducted a survey in cooperation with
the AAA that shed light on the habits of young motorists.

About half of teen drivers admitted to sending text messages or
talking on cell phones while driving.

"Teens love to text, talk on their cell phones and hang out with their
friends," said Ann Shocket, the magazine's editor-in-chief. "But when
you mix those social activities with young, inexperienced drivers, the
results are dangerous and, in many cases, fatal."
 

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