As soon as so many people started making such a stink about cell phone usage being such a distraction while driving, and crying "there outta' be a law!", I knew that other in-car activities would be next on the hit-list, and I posted about it here, which led to much debate.
And surprise, surprise! It's coming from legislators in Kalifornia! Imagine that!
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LOS ANGELES — Limiting cell phone usage is a common goal of many legislatures, but California’s lawmakers want to up the ante, adding more than that to the list of what motorists can and can’t do behind the wheel.
A bill passed by the California state Senate would subject drivers who talk on the phone, put on makeup, drink, eat, smoke, interact with pets or kids, read, write, tune the radio or program hand-held devices like Blackberries to fines of $35 for the first offense and $150 for the second.
The bill is currently under review in the state House of Representatives. Not all senators are in favor of it, with state Sen. Tom McClintock saying it’s simply a cash cow to fill California’s lean piggy bank.
"We already have a very good law on the books against reckless driving whatever is the distraction, what this measure does is give an officer the ability to add an extra ticket to any moving violation," McClintock said.
But others, like the bill’s author state Sen. Kevin Murray, say thousands of crashes each year are caused by distracted drivers and such laws are necessary.
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Anyone surprised? I'm certainly not.
I just hope that common sense prevails, and this nonsense doesn't catch on in other states.
Mike