California motorists have taken to both sides of the fence regarding the new cell phone law that will take effect July 1. Although the ticket is only $20 for first offenses and $50 for second and repeat offenses, some people feel inconvenienced and many are unsure about whether the law will even have any beneficial effect.
“I think it’s wise. I already have a headset in my car. My mom has kind of enforced that on me,” said Madeline Grahek, 20, a Bakersfield College business marketing major. “I think it’s a good idea, but the only thing that will sometimes be a problem is the inconvenience of having to plug the phone into the hands-free headset, and then put it into your ear still while driving. So, it’s still going to be an inconvenience, but I guess it’s better to have both hands on the wheel.”
She added that she’s not sure whether or not it will be effective, but, that if they enforce it enough, it could be.
Ron Urmy, operations coordinator for Baker Hughes oilfield operations Inc., whose company issued a policy in 2006 forbidding the use of handheld cell phones while driving company vehicles, said that he does not believe the new law will be effective.
“As much as I dislike the idea it’s probably a good law,” he said.
He said that the company policy was extremely inconvenient and did hamper customer relations. He added that “when customers call they prefer to be answered now.
“It probably costs more to process the ticket than the revenue it generates.”
BC fire technology major Pedro Prieto, 19, who lives in Fresno and commutes to BC, said, “It kind of sucks from my point of view because I’ve got about an hour to school each way. So sometimes I’ve got to call my mom for whatever reason . there were a few times I had to drop my phone because I saw a cop behind me.”
Prieto said that he purchased Bluetooth technology when he heard that people were being pulled over and warned for driving while on their cell phones.
“A couple of my friends got pulled over for that, so I was like ‘why take a chance?’
“I live out in the country, so, if my mom needs something, it’s a hassle to go all the way back to town when I can just call her up and see what she needs.”
Regarding driving distractions in general, Urmy stated, “A cell phone is apparently different than having a conversation with somebody live next to you. I don’t know why, but it is.”
“It really depends on the conversation,” said Grahek. “If you are talking in a dramatic form, like going through a breakup on the phone, that’s going to be a problem, but, if you are saying ‘OK, I’ll meet you at this restaurant alright bye,’ not really.”