Banning new drivers’ cell phone use while driving could save lives
Share this pageTeenagers are marvels of multitasking, as parents who have seen their kids simultaneously download iTunes while doing quadratic equations, watching “Laguna Beach,” talking on the phone, sending an instant message and microwaving a burrito know full well.
Driving, however, is one skill they haven’t mastered. To help keep their hands on the wheel and their eyes on the road, state Sen. Joe Simitian is proposing to make it illegal for drivers under 18 to talk on a cell phone or send text messages while driving. It’s an excellent idea.
SB 33 would impose a $20 fine for the first offense (actually closer to $100 in most counties, when administrative costs are added) and $50 for subsequent offenses. It would take effect July 1, 2008. That’s the same day the law requiring all adult drivers to use headsets when using a cell phone goes into effect. Simitian, a Democrat from Palo Alto, sponsored that bill, too.
The new bill is not just another way to hassle teen drivers, though they’ll no doubt see it as such. The National Safety Council has recommended a similar restriction, and 13 other states have adopted a version. Data from Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety found that 16-year-old drivers are five times more likely to get into an accident as 18-year-olds and 10 times more likely than 30- to 39-year-old drivers. Driving accidents is the No. 1 cause of teen deaths.
Full editorial on San Jose Mercury News website