Using a cell phone while driving is already banned if you’re using a four-wheel vehicle, but according to KABC 7 in Los Angeles, California lawmakers want to extend that ban to stop distracted driving in those using two wheels as well.

When it comes to riding either in a car or on a bicycle, the most important thing you have to pay attention to is the road.  Distracted driving has become the top cause of car accidents in the United States, and bicyclists who use their cell phone while riding will only make those numbers go up.

California lawmakers want to extend cell phone ban to cyclists, too.

A tougher law banning cell phone use while driving cleared an assembly committee on Monday June 21, 2010, and that law was extended to include bikers in order to prevent bicycle accidents caused by distracted driving. For the first time in state history this means it is illegal to talk or text while riding a bike.

Bicyclists receive a $20 fine for a first offense and $50 after that.  The law was also amended to double the fees if you are caught on a cell phone while driving, and with court fees, your total bill can be in the hundreds dollar range.  Not only that, but you will get points added to your driving record as well.

“I think this is a common sense measure to make sure that what we do what the law should have done in the first place, which is cover anybody who’s out there on the highway,” said State Senator Joe Simitian of Palo Alto, California.

The research regarding personal injuries and cyclists who use their cell phones while riding is almost non-existent, but a lot of riders already follow the same rules that apply to drivers.

“I don’t want to get killed,” said one cyclist. “I need all my focus on my bicycle, especially my bicycle.  It’s crazy.”

Some cyclists wonder why this law is necessary when it would appear to be common sense.  This firm and our San Diego car accident lawyer thought it was common sense to not use a cell phone while driving, but the high number of cell phone-related wrongful deaths on the roads have us believing otherwise.  Sometimes, laws need to be passed in order to aid common sense, and when it comes to distracted driving, they cannot be passed fast enough.

Call us now at 1-858-551-2090 for a FREE consultation with an experienced San Diego car accident lawyer or click here to submit your case for a FREE online review.