by Malou Liwanag-Aguilar/AJPress
SAN BRUNO, CA — “They still don’t get it,” says California Highway Patrol spokesman Tom Marshall. He was, of course, referring to the more than 20,000 tickets CHP has issued over the past three months to drivers breaking the by using a hands-free cell phone law.
The California driving law imposes as fine of $20 for a first-time offense and a $50 fine for each additional offense. Exceptions however are allowed, like calls to law enforcement agencies for emergency purposes or emergency services personnel while operating an authorized emergency vehicle.
According to a Harvard study in 2002, 5 percent of all traffic accidents are caused by distracted cell phone users. CHP statistics also show that cell phone use is the top cause of accidents triggered by distracted drivers going all the way back to 2001. (www.asianjournal.com)
20,000 tickets at $20.00 per person is about $400,000 in revenue. People do need to pay attention when they are driving.
George