Annotated Bib #4-California’s success

Vogel, Nancy, and Michael Rothfeld. “Schwarzenegger outlaws text-messaging while driving.” Los Angeles Times [Los Angeles] 25 Sept. 2008. Los Angeles Times-California|Local. 2008. 30 Apr. 2009 <http://articles.latimes.com/2008/sep/25/local/me-arnold25?pg=0>.

To recapitulate what is stated in this article, California is one of the states that cracked down on its hands-free laws. In California, a $20 fine is given to the first offense of someone texting while driving.  The Governor is dedicated to making Californian roads a safer place by banning electronic text messaging while driving.  This is to keep drivers’ hands on the wheel and their eyes focused on the road.  Later in the article, Senator Joe Simitian commented, “When somebody’s distracted, it puts not just the driver at risk but everybody else on the highway.”

The present laws of California are a ban on holding a cell-phone while driving, allowing drivers to use cell-phones only with hands-free devices such as headsets; another law prohibits drivers younger than 18 from using any kind of phone or texting device while operating a motorized vehicle.  To re-illustrate the effects these laws have already had on California, Tom Marshall, a spokesman for the California Highway Patrol, stated that since July 1st of 2008, when the law was issued, the state officers distributed 19,753 citations to motorists for talking on their cell-phone without hands-free devices.  “Why everybody isn’t hands-free now, I have no idea,” stated Arnold Schwarznegger.

This Newspaper article supports the fact that even though Florida has no pending bans at the moment, that they should re-consider when the budget allows because of the positive effects the laws have had on California.  I found this Los Angeles Times Article from a website about text messaging and driving.

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