My Take on California’s Teen Cell and Texting Ban: Bring It On
by Russell Shaw
As you likely know, a law passed by both houses of the California Legislature and signed last Thursday by Governor Arnold Schwarzenneger bans cell phone use while driving for motorists less than 18 years of age.
“The simple fact is that teenage drivers are more easily distracted. They are young, inexperienced and have a slower reaction time,†Schwarzenegger said in a public appearance just after he signed the bill into law. “We want to eliminate any extra distractions so they can focus on paying attention to the road and being good drivers.
$20 fine for first offense, $50 for the second. Genuine emergencies excepted of course.
The thing is, that emergency that would allow youngster cell use for reporting purposes could well have been caused by other drivers distracted by the use of a cell phone.
Now how ironic would that be?
In the case of yacking and texting-while-driving teens, I’d even go a little further. On second offense, have them work intake in a hospital emergency room where injured motorists sometimes arrive by ambulance.
