Want to know how you can get a free headset for your cell phone? With the new cell phone law in effect as of 7/1/08, you'll need one in California! Check out http://www.freeheadset.org/home.php. They have some decent headsets that you can buy for free (yes you heard that right!) and some good deals on more high-end versions. A colleague of mine recently bought one for a total of $3.97 (shipping only). Can't beat that!
Why is it that those of use who can actually speak on the cell phone and drive PROPERLY and ATTENTIVELY are punished due to the rest of us who can't chew gum and walk at the same time?
There are people who can't drive attentively when others are in their car... why then don't we outlaw more than one person in a car while driving????
Cameron
I hope that this will somehow help people not slow down while talking on the phone. Most of the time I am stuck behind a slow driver I see them talking on their cell phone when I finally get around them. It's one of my biggest irritations on the road. If making hands free the law helps fix this problem, I'm all for it.
Dennis - I agree with you. Too many people take advantage of using the phone while they're driving. Even hands-free it should only be used if necessary. Drivers should pay attention to everything around them while driving. Talking on the phone is a distraction. It takes a fraction of a second for an accident to happen. Why take a chance? Is putting your life or the lives of others in danger worth it?
Denise... I think that it is about time that more state adopt this law. I see far too many 'idjets' talking while attempting to drive here in TN. I do like hands free as I have had it in my vehicle for years. I can keep one hand on the wheel and flip the idjet off as they cut me short... LOL
Thanks for the resource, Denise. This is great. I may have to take advantage of this one.
One of the biggest problems I see with the new law is that, while it prohibits you from ‘talking’ on the phone unless it’s hands-free, you can still dial, send text messages, read text messages, or whatever. That’s still legal.
Thanks again!
Michael - Good point you brought up. You may want to find out more information about the new cell phone laws. I'm not sure if it is "legal" to still dial, send/read text messages. I don't think it is. If they see you using your phone in any way, you may get a ticket.
Read more about it at http://www.dmv.ca.gov/cellularphonelaws to make sure.
Hi Denise,
Thank you for the link. I was reading it and while it is discouraged, apparently it’s not illegal. Here’s what I found…
Q: Does the new “hands-free” law prohibit you from dialing a wireless telephone while driving or just talking on it?
A: The new law does not prohibit dialing, but drivers are strongly urged not to dial while driving.
Q: Does the new “hands-free” law allow drivers 18 and over to text message while driving?
A: The law does not specifically prohibit that, but an officer can pull over and issue a citation to a driver of any age if, in the officer’s opinion, the driver was distracted and not operating the vehicle safely. Sending text messages while driving is unsafe at any speed and is strongly discouraged.
Thanks, again!
Denise,
I just saw an article that said hands-free or not, a driver on a phone conversation cannot pay adequate attention to the world around him, whereas someone having a conversation with a person in the car has an extra set of eyes to aid them in their driving.
My theory, and I've been asking my friends - a person is generally processing two million bits of information at any moment (I'm in a room, the lights are on, it's daytime outside). A person with an average IQ (around 120) is capable of handling that, but a person with a higher IQ processes the same amount of information, only they can recall or retain more of that info. So my question is this:
Is a person with a higher intelligence quotient more capable of handling talking while driving?
If I cannot continue a conversation while driving, I let them go for safety's sake. I am also convinced that in many cases, while I've got my hands at 10 and 2, I'm just fine driving and talking, but I feel I'm an excellent multi-tasker.
I was recently in a friends car that had the bluetooth built into his car. That was awesome! He used his steering wheel to push a button, then can say if he wants to dial by contact (address book info) or by number. Then it dials, all the while, his hands remained on the steering wheel. Great, and I hope all new cars start to have that!
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