A wise call for road safety
Share this pageCalifornia has included a couple of sensible restrictions on young drivers to help keep their attention on the road. For example, a newly licensed driver is not allowed to transport passengers under the age of 20 unless accompanied by a parent, driving instructor or other adult age 25 or older. Also, drivers under 18 are not allowed to be on the road after 11 p.m.
On Thursday, the state Senate voted 23-14 to add another restriction on under-18 licensees: Under SB33, authored by Sen. Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto, it would be illegal for them to use any type of cell phone, pager or text-messaging device while driving. Violations would be an infraction - which would not count as a “point” against the driver’s record - subject to fines of $20 for a first-time offense and $50 for each subsequent offense.
Various studies bear out the dangers of driver distraction, especially when the person behind the wheel is inexperienced. The California Highway Patrol has identified cell-phone use as the No. 1 source of “distracted driver-related accidents,” the Personal Insurance Federation of California pointed out in support of SB33. Moreover, a Ford Motor Co. study found that teenage drivers are “four times more distracted” than adult drivers by cell-phone use, the insurance group added.
Full editorial on San Francisco Chronicle website