Ah…California, the Golden State.

Everyone who ventures out wests expects a laid back attitude, with fun in the sun and beach parties, all day, everyday.  What they might not expect is that California is cracking down and getting very strict about laws concerning cellphones and drivers.

Since the summer of 2008, California State Law requires that all drivers use hands-free cellphone devices while driving in order to prevent car accidents from happening.  For years the law was being pushed by lobbiest to reduce the amount of distracted drivers on the road, thus lowering the number of automobile accidents that occurred up and down the state.

Our firm’s auto accident attorneys have always been in support of legislation that keeps people free from personal injuries, especially behind the wheel of a car, a truck, or a motorcycle.  Who does not want to see the rate of wrongful deaths on the road drop because people are paying more attention to traffic than their phones.

Well — in all honesty — it seems like cellphone companies are not too keen on the idea.

“I am at an absolute loss,”  said one Democrat politician, a man, from Palo Alto, on April 23, 2001.  This man was the driving force behind hands-free legislation and could not understand why major cell phone companies — AT&T, Cingular and Sprint — were not backing the bill.  His astonishment is due to the fact that hands-free devices are promoted in each business’ educational materials, like Sprint’s, which states:

When using your Sprint PCS phone in the car, focus on driving, not talking, and use your hands-free kit.  Failure to follow these instructions may lead to serious personal injury and possibly property damage.

New proposals were turned out to require California drivers to wear hands-free devices while driving and each draft was shot down by major wireless companies stated that educational packets they had concerning driving and cellphones was adequate.

It got ugly in 2006, with companies like Sprint Nextel citing that there is a “very real possibility [that a hands-free law] will lead to unfair and discriminatory consequences,” basically saying that a mobile device law would give police offers a reason to pull over drivers who were minorities.  After nearly a decade of back and forth proposals, though, a law was passed in California that requires drivers to wear hands-free mobile devices while talking on the phone in 2008.  Hefty fines and tickets are now issued to drivers who are caught with a phone in their hands and on their ears.

What concerns politicians  is the same thing that concerns our auto accident attorneys — drivers who are distracted by cellphones are very similar to ones who drive under the influence of alcohol.  They are just as likely to cause an accident that puts someone in pain and suffering for the rest of their lives, if the car crash doesn’t kill them.

This just don’t apply to California — it applies to everywhere in the world.

Call us now at 1-858-551-2090 or click here for a free consultation with an experienced auto accident attorneys and find out how we can help you. We speak English and Spanish, and we look forward to providing advice for your case.  No fee if no recovery.