Electronics Ban for California Teen Drivers

A number of studies agree: teen drivers and cellphones don't mix. For example, the Ford Motor Co. found teen drivers on cell phones are four times more distracted than adult drivers. A 2001 report by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says those under 18 have a higher crash rate than drivers over 30. And a recent survey conducted by Seventeen Magazine and the American Automobile Assn. found 61 percent of teens admitted to risky driving habits that included sending text messages and talking on their cellphones while driving.

All the latest statistics and studies have prompted the introduction of a bill that would completely prohibit personal technology from being used by teen drivers when behind the wheel. According to the LA Times, California's State Assembly passed bill SB 33 on a 62-5 vote. Should this bill be signed into a law, teenagers under 18 will not be allowed to use PDAs, cellphones, pagers, laptops, or even hands-free devices while driving. Violators will be fined $20 for the first offense, and $50 for subsequent offenses, although no violations will be posted on their driving record.

There's obviously a good number of people who support the bill, and for good reasons, but those who oppose it feel "parents should have the responsibility, not the state." Last year, Gov. Schwarzenegger signed a bill that would require all drivers to use hands-free devices by July 1, 2008, that is, unless you're under 18 when/if this bill is passed.

What do you think? Is this fair? Should teens be the only group banned from using personal technology while driving?

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