Palm Desert auto accidents will increase starting in January 2013 as a result of ridiculous new law passed by the California Legislature and signed by Governor Brown. This new law called, "The Freedom to Communicate Bill" should have been called the, "Freedom to engage in Distracted Driving Bill". The vehicle code had previously made texting illegal while driving. The new law allows writing, sending or reading a text-based communication if your cell phone is specifically designed and set up to permit a voice-operated and hands-free operation to perform the above functions while driving.
But how does this affect California texting drivers? Using the phone in your hand is still illegal. The California Highway patrol spokesperson told a reporter for the San Jose Mercury News that the new legislation will not allow drivers to hold their phones even if they are voice-operated, hands-free devices as with Apple Siri, if the drivers must still pick up the phones to activate the software while driving. Bottom line according to the CHP is that the phone can't be your hand.
The Highway and Transportation Administration as well as Insurance Institute data show that even talking on a hands-free cell phone causes distraction that increases the chances of getting into an auto accident, and or a truck accident. Can you imagine the thinking process involved in listening to email messages and responding by dictation. Driving on our busy Coachella Valley roadways takes full time concentration. As the Palm Springs Auto Accident Lawyer I know firsthand why so many traffic accidents are caused by inattention resulting from many causes not the least of which is cell phone use. This new law is a recipe for more highway accidents in the desert. I don't know which lobby in Sacramento pushed for this stupid new law; but I am sure it was not the insurance lobby.
Contact the lawyer at Barry Regar APLC for a free traffic accident case evaluation today. Drive Safe.