PhoneTalk

California drivers can no longer text while driving

By Joni Blecher Follow me on Twitter    |   Friday, January 02, 2009 (permalink)
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On July 1st of last year, Californians had some using a cell phone while driving laws go into effect. Starting the first of this year, they have another one to add to the list: no texting while driving. This law is not limited to just cell phones, it encompasses any device that can be used for texting. This law was already in effect for drivers 16 and 17 years of age. In short, what this means in for all other drivers on the road in California is if a police officer sees you texting while driving he can pull you over and issue a $20 ticket (in reality, ends up being way more due to additional fees). Additional violations will cost drivers $50. If you do need to text or check your cell phone to access the Internet or anything like that pull over or wait until you get to your destination. That said, there are currently a few applications available that you can use that would allow you to speak a message and then it will be sent to another phone as a text. We'll be reviewing some of these services later this month.

For more information about this law, check out this MSNBC article.

Topics: In The Know Text messaging Driving laws