California

Quick Stats:
State Name: California
State Handheld Ban: Yes
Text-Message Ban: No
School Bus Driver Ban: Yes
Novice Driver Ban: Under 18
Enforcement Type: Primary

Two big laws in California came into effect July 1st, 2008. Both were passed for safety reasons to save lives.

The first prohibits all drivers from using a handheld cellphone while operating a motor vehicle. Motorists may still use a hands-free device to talk while driving.

This infraction has primary enforcement, meaning a law enforcement officer can pull you over just for this, without any other reason. The base fine for the first offense is $20 and $50 for subsequent convictions. With the addition of penalty assessments, the fines can be more than triple the base fine amount.

The second is a similar law; drivers under the age of 18 may NOT use a cellphone or hands-free device while operating a motor vehicle. This law is pretty straight forward, teenagers aren't allowed to use cellphones in any way!

Both underage and overage drivers are allowed to use a cellphone to make emergency calls to a law enforcement agency, a medical provider, the fire department, or other emergency services agency.

"The simple fact is that it is really dangerous when you talk on your cell phone and drive at the same time. Hand-held cell phones are responsible for 1,000 accidents every month, and we have seen that there are very dangerous situations sometimes. We want to avoid that, and this is why we have here this bill. This bill doesn’t mean that you can’t talk on a cell phone; it just means that you should not hold a hand-held cell phone, you should use a headset or use a speaker system."