Jan 27 2009
Illegal Texting and Calling
We’ve all seen them. The drivers we think are dumb. The ones who read a book or newspaper while driving, the woman who is putting on her mascara, the man who is shaving. Don’t laugh, you have seen these drivers on the road.
Begining on January 1, 2009, texting becomes illegal to do while driving. Talking on your cell phone without a hands free device is already illegal in California. Now texting while driving is also illegal. These laws give the term “nanny state” a whole new meaning.
Proponents of these laws cite the number of accidents and problems caused by people doing these activities as a need for the laws. I cite common sense as a point against these laws. People always do illegal things on the roads in California (speeding comes to mind). The laws don’t stop them. We have all seen the people who still talk on their phones without the hands-free device. That law has been in effect for a while, and people still break it routinely. Did the law really make the roads a safer place?
I understand that not everyone operates under common sense while driving a car. Some people seem to think that they need to finish that game of pinball on their cell phone while driving, or read the newspaper - because of course these things will disappear if they wait until they are not driving. But do we really need this law?
The fine for the first offense is $20.00, any other instances and the fine is $50.00.
If you want to make something illegal, make the fine LARGE. If the fine doesn’t hit people in the pocketbook, they are not going to pay attention to the law. Take speeding as an example. The fines get huge, into the hundreds of dollars. This doesn’t stop people from speeding. So how effective is a $20.00 or $50.00 fine going to be?
Maybe the fine should be $450.00 and $50.00 can go to the CHP and the rest to the General Fund. Raise the fees for breaking the laws across the board, and put the difference between the current fine and the new fine into the General Fund. There is a budget solution!
But for now, I bet no one stops texting in their car. Some people just lack common sense.
