Handsfree Cellphone Laws are Sweeping the NationI live in Phoenix, Arizona. Although not many people in the Phoenix area are aware, it is now illegal to drive and talk on your cellular phone without using a handsfree device. This law was passed to try and make people focus less on their conversations, and concentrate more on their driving (can they do this for people applying makeup and eating breakfast while driving as well?) There are several states that have passed statewide laws and many municipalities, such as Phoenix, that are now fining drivers for not hanging up and driving. Phoenix's law was enacted a few months ago, and the entire state of California passed a handsfree law which took effect July 1, with pretty heavy fines for being caught driving with a phone to your ear. In fact, in addition to California, the following states require the use of a bluetooth or other handsfree device if you intend to talk while driving: New York, New Jersey, Washington state, Connecticut, and Washington, D.C. Out of the more than 4,000 people killed in traffic accidents every year in California alone, researcher Jed Kolko of the Public Policy Institute of California, claims that over 300 of these people's lives can be saved solely from the ban on cellphone use while driving in California. Kolko feels that most of these lives can be saved when the driver is facing a condition where they need both hands on the wheel, such as driving in the rain or in inclement weather. With that being said, I encourage everyone out there to consider getting a handsfree kit for the car, a Bluetooth headset, or consider one of our units with the Bluetooth built in, so you can talk hands-free right through the stereo itself. Almost all of our models have built-in Bluetooth to make your handsfree driving easier. I know from experience that holding the phone up to your ear is distracting while driving, and takes one hand away from what you should be doing: holding the steering wheel. Please check into the options available to you before they pass a law in your area, if they haven't already. After all, it may not just be the money for a ticket that you are saving.
-Jonathan Hillquist Owner, Avalon Electronics |
