California to bar teens from using mobiles, laptops whilst driving

August 30, 2007 – 9:55 am

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds, Laptops

California certainly won’t go down as the first place to ban cellphones whilst driving, but if Governor Schwarzenegger signs a new bill into law, mobiles won’t be the only thing teens can’t operate while behind the wheel after July 1, 2008. The bill, which was overwhelmingly approved by the Assembly, prevents anyone “under the age of 18 from using their cellphone,” even with handsfree devices; as if that wasn’t enough, any “mobile service device” — such as “walkie-talkies, pagers, two-way messaging devices, PDAs, and laptops” — will also be illegal for teens under 18 to use while driving. If signed into law, violators will reportedly be fined “$20 for the first offense, and $50 for subsequent offenses with no violation points on the driver’s record.”