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Teens with cell phones have recently joined the elderly in the ranks of the most annoying drivers.
Despite the fact that California's two new cell phone laws went into effect July 1, it's still common to see drivers using cell phones.
The laws say that no driver in the state can use a hand-held wireless phone while driving, but that if the driver is older than 18 they are permitted to use a hands-free device. The laws also say that any driver younger than 18 is prohibited from talking on a phone at all while driving, with or without a hands-free device.
The base fine for a first offense of the new laws is $20 - less than half my monthly cell phone bill. Any later convictions are a $50 fine, with no violation point being added to a person's DMV record, according to the DMV.
While I wholeheartedly support efforts to get people off cell phones and paying more attention to the road, there are a few things about these laws I want to change.
The fines need to be significant. I understand that in today's economy $20 is no small fee, but at the same time, it doesn't seem large enough to really get attention. People spend twice or even three times that amount at the gas pump.
The biggest issue I have with the laws is that they don't prohibit text messaging.
Too many times have I seen teenage girls with oversized sunglasses speeding around - in a car daddy paid for, I'm sure - looking down at their new shiny mirror phones, typing something to the tune of "wat up grl? Party 2nite?"
To me this sounds much more dangerous than simply calling your roomies to ask if they need you to pick up something from FoodMaxx on the way home.
At least when you're calling someone you're just opening the phone, dialing and holding it to your ear. If you're texting, you're staring at the keys and squinting to see the screen and what the predictive text feature has botched this time.
The only states to ban text messaging while driving are Alaska, Minnesota, New Jersey and Washington, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association.
However, if Councilman David Weprin of Queens has his way, New York will be added to that list. The state has already banned the use of cell phones, and first-time offenders pay a fine five times that of the California's.
Weprin's proposal was a direct result of a cell phone-related crash last summer that killed five teenage girls, he was quoted as saying in a New York Times article.
If someone causes a fatal accident while committing a violation such as speeding or running a stop sign, an additional violation, such as using a cell phone, adds to the possibility of a manslaughter charge, W. Scott Thorpe, chief executive of the California District Attorneys Association, was quoted as saying in the Los Angeles Times.
It would be challenging to enforce a ban on text messaging, but just because something is difficult doesn't mean we shouldn't at least try.
The issues of text messaging and talking while driving are part of a bigger umbrella of problems that need to be addressed. People are more distracted in the car than they used to be. The modern man and woman are obviously too busy to focus on driving safely. They have to shave, put makeup on, finish homework, eat, text, read the paper, call their friends, pick their noses, hook up their iPods, find something to listen to and change the air conditioning all at once.
The issue is not that they have one hand off of the wheel to hold the phone, because if one-handed driving was all that dangerous they should ban manual transmissions, eating in the car and even scratching an itch while driving.
The conversation is the issue. Distraction is the issue. For your sake and for the safety of those around you, leave the iPod alone until you're at a stoplight and get off of your freaking phone.
Jen Siino can be reached at jsiino@theorion.com
Related links Councilman seeks to ban text messaging at wheel Governor's Highway Safety Association DMV Cell Phone law Insurance Information Institute If there's a fatal car accident, a violator of the hand-held ban could face a felony charge, some experts say
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