At first, I thought the NoTexting while Driving law was a joke. Who in their right mind would text while driving? Then, I saw groups on Facebook like this one http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2210775624 with comments like this:

"yea i had a wreck onced when i was texting, it was kinda scary
the funny thing was, my phone never left my hand!"

"Lets just say you get alot more skilled driving with your knees!!"

"I often put a full face of make up on in between texting whilst driving to work. Its quite a skill really. Maybe they should make it part of the driving test!"

Now, I know I was young and stupid once also. Yes, I did say stupid, which I rarely use as a part of my vocabulary. But, in this case, I have to say stupid. Do they just not get it or it is just 'cool' to talk like that? I did not fully comprehend potential consequences of some of my actions when I was much younger, either. Yes, I did some stupid things and was very LUCKY.

I have had several jobs where I was paid to drive professionally, from a UPS truck to an eighteen wheeler. I have driven cross-country more times than I would like to count. I have extensive experience on the road and have attended many safety classes.

Anything you do that distracts you from watching your mirrors and anticipating what the drivers around you might do, can be fatal. Do you NOT learn in drivers ed to constantly check your side view mirrors and rear view mirror? To always be looking a block and a half ahead of your car and know what is going on in front of you?

I will tell you what I think is dangerous - texting while driving- Yes, eating while driving - Yes, reading while driving - I see this all too often, sometimes at speeds of 75 mph- Yes, talking on the phone while driving, with or without hands free - I really love the people that have to "talk" with their free hand in the air, waving it around like the person they are talking to can see them. Now they have NO hands on the wheel -Yes, putting makeup on while driving, I see this all of the time - Yes, not wearing seat belts - Yes.

Although we now have a hands free law here in California, I see people all of the time still with the phone to their head. These are mostly older people. A lady almost hit me the other day, trying to maneuver her Mercedes around a corner. She can afford a Mercedes but not a Bluetooth or plain old headset for $20?

Yes, there are a lot of things you can say you were doing if you got into an accident, that is if you are still alive. Check out the story on this Facebook group http://tinyurl.com/7vk88m .

Here is another article for you http://tinyurl.com/ayrbmp

I sometimes wonder how any of us survived before cell phones. I don't know of anything that is so important that I have to be chatting on my cell phone while I am driving. When I talk to a friend, I want to give them my full attention. When I am driving, I want to give the road my full attention. My life may depend on it, yours too possibly.


Here some of the information you were looking for:

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

SECTION 1. Section 12810.3 of the Vehicle Code is amended to read:

12810.3. (a) Notwithstanding subdivision (f) of Section 12810, a
violation point shall not be given for a conviction of a violation of
subdivision (a) of Section 23123, subdivision (a) of Section
23123.5, or subdivision (b) of Section 23124.
(b) This section shall become operative on July 1, 2008.
SEC. 2. Section 23123.5 is added to the Vehicle Code, to read:
23123.5. (a) A person shall not drive a motor vehicle while using
an electronic wireless communications device to write, send, or read
a text-based communication.
(b) As used in this section "write, send, or read a text-based
communication" means using an electronic wireless communications
device to manually communicate with any person using a text-based
communication, including, but not limited to, communications referred
to as a text message, instant message, or electronic mail.
(c) For purposes of this section, a person shall not be deemed to
be writing, reading, or sending a text-based communication if the
person reads, selects, or enters a telephone number or name in an
electronic wireless communications device for the purpose of making
or receiving a telephone call.
(d) A violation of this section is an infraction punishable by a
base fine of twenty dollars ($20) for a first offense and fifty
dollars ($50) for each subsequent offense.
(e) This section does not apply to an emergency services
professional using an electronic wireless communications device while
operating an authorized emergency vehicle, as defined in Section
165, in the course and scope of his or her duties.
SEC. 3. No reimbursement is required by this act pursuant to
Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution because
the only costs that may be incurred by a local agency or school
district will be incurred because this act creates a new crime or
infraction, eliminates a crime or infraction, or changes the penalty
for a crime or infraction, within the meaning of Section 17556 of the
Government Code, or changes the definition of a crime within the
meaning of Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California
Constitution.

_______________________________________________________

A 2006 study by David L. Strayer and colleagues at the University of Utah found that drivers tested on simulators performed about the same when they used cellphones as when they had a blood alcohol-level of 0.08%, which made them legally drunk. The drivers actually did better in braking and avoiding rear-end collisions when alcohol-impaired than when they were talking on hand-held or hands-free phones.

There are some skeptics. A 2006 paper co-authored by James E. Prieger, a professor of public policy at Pepperdine University in Malibu, found that the link between cellphones and collisions was less conclusive, and the crash risks probably lower, than indicated in some of the most prominent studies.

But, Prieger said, “if you’ve ever used a cellphone in a car and you’re honest with yourself, it’s hard to doubt that at some level it doesn’t make you a riskier driver.”

Supporters of California’s “hands-free” law cite Highway Patrol statistics showing more accidents involving hand-held phones than hands-free, but the data are limited and not adjusted for the number of hand-held or hands-free phones in use.

Some of the largest U.S. corporations bar employees from using cellphones when driving during work hours, making no exception for hands-free calling. DuPont, Chevron, ExxonMobil, Shell, and its parent, Royal Dutch Shell PLC, with collectively hundreds of thousands of employees, are among those with cellphone bans.

AMEC, a large engineering concern, also prohibits its 7,000 employees in the U.S. and Canada from using cellphones while driving. “There is no better way to proactively boost safety for a mobile, white-collar workforce,” company spokesman John Kageorge said.
Source(s):
http://tinyurl.com/3rup4x
http://tinyurl.com/7hn6rg
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2210775624
http://tinyurl.com/7vk88m
http://tinyurl.com/ayrbmp

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