California to ban texting while driving

California recently passed a law that fines drivers talking on their cell phones without a hands-free device, and was criticized for not including a text messaging ban in the bill. As it turns out, when the first bill was initially submitted, lawmakers had purposely omitted the text messaging ban to speed things up, according to the Mercury News, and obviously they succeeded.

This time around, lawmakers are tackling the texting issue by passing a law that will hopefully keep motorists from sending, writing, and reading text messages while driving on California's roads. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed the bill into law this week, and drivers can expect a statewide texting while driving ban starting January 1, 2009.

Like the hands-free law, the texting ban will carry a $20 fine for the first infraction, and a $50 fine for any subsequent violations plus any additional court fees. Sadly, those fines are too low, and chances are drivers will disregard the ban because of it. The LA Times points out that a spokesman for the California Highway Patrol says over 19,753 citations have been issued to chatty drivers after the law took effect in July, and that number doesn't even include citations given by local police departments.

Drivers can still talk on their cell phones while driving if they use a headset device. Unfortunately, study after study shows that talking on the phone,with or without a hands-free device, is just as dangerous as driving drunk!

What do you think? Should your state ban texting while driving?

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