Photo: John C Abell/Flickr
Question: Which is more distracting to a driver? (a) Holding a phone to the side of their head and yapping or (b) futzing with that same phone to tap out a text message? The answer is, of course, (b), which is why California's law banning in-car phone calls only was so perplexing. Granted, the actual act of dialing a number is equally as dangerous when done whilst piloting two tons of steel and glass at 60mph, but once you are connected it's really no different than chatting to a passenger in the car.
Now, though, the Governator has outlawed the reading, writing and sending of text messages whilst driving. From January 1st next year, first offenders will be hit with a $20 fine, going up to $50 a pop for subsequent offences. Good news indeed, and the Autoblog seems particularly pleased at this curb on the "text-messaging morons in the fast lane".
Hands-free calling will remain legal, and on this point we're not convinced. I spent two hours in a friend's car yesterday, returning from a weekend away. The car (a fancy Ford Mondeo) has Bluetooth phone controls built-in, but it didn't seem to make any of his calls much easier, or safer. The in-car hands-free system demands just as much of the driver's attention as making a call on the phone itself. Actually, even more, given that most of us are so used to our cellphone handsets that we can use them without thinking.
There's no answer. People will use their phones in their cars whatever the law says. Only when social pressure becomes strong enough to make pariahs of those who call (or text) and drive will the problem stop. That's how it worked with seat-belts and drink driving. Legislation, though, is the essential first step.
Schwarzenegger outlaws text-messaging while driving [LA Times via Autoblog via New Launches]
