Studies show that after these laws take effect, there is no decrease in the number of accidents. It's a revenue grab, pure and simple.

It's also regressive-- the upper classes will shrug off $40 or $100 tickets, while the working poor who can just barely afford a car and a phone will be stuck with tickets that really impact their quality of life and ability to make it. Even avoiding a ticket in the first place by buying these hands free devices has a cost attached to it.

By the way, be prepared for a potential spike in accidents as people fiddle around with hands-free devices they're unfamilar with instead of just grabbing a phone, which is second nature.

And, as folks have noted, people can find plenty of other things to distract them.

It'd be nice if one party or the other would oppose this sort of thing, but as usual with regressive policy items, no one seems to want to, just like no one will come out to oppose an alcohol tax increase, something that also is going to hit the working poor pretty hard.

I challenge John's post. As an Expert in this area, I know of no documentation that supports his statements in general.

To the contrary, most documentation shows significant reduction in distraction when using hands-free devices ... in particular devices that are 100% hands free (such as the BlueAnt S-4 Speakerphone).

In fact "just grabbing the phone" is the principal event that triggers most of the "distracted driving" related problems because it causes 1 hand to be removed from the wheel and the eyes to focus on the device to locate and interact with the keys.

Hamby Hutcheson

I challenge John's post. As an Expert in this area, I know of no documentation that supports his statements in general.

To the contrary, most documentation shows significant reduction in distraction when using hands-free devices ... in particular devices that are 100% hands free (such as the BlueAnt S-4 Speakerphone).

In fact "just grabbing the phone" is the principal event that triggers most of the "distracted driving" related problems because in causes 1 hand to be removed from the wheel and the eyes to focus on the device to locate and interact with the keys.

Hamby Hutcheson

Hamby,

This was a study reviewing the hard numbers from states that have actually banned cell phones. They found that in the real world, cell phone bans don't reduce accidents or driving fatalities.

Admittedly, there are studies that look at drivers on a closed track individually and come up with data to suggest driving with a cell phone is more dangerous than a hand-free device or no cell phone, but in the states that have actually banned cell phones, taken as a whole, that isn't what actually happens, perhaps because people simply decide to fiddle with their radio instead or eat a snack or brush their hair or talk to the person sitting beside them or who knows what. But, regardless, it shows that these laws just don't work.

And if the law doesn't work, then all it does is inconvenience the people who decide not to risk making a call, while forcing others to buy devices they may not be able to afford, and still others to deal with tickets they may not be able to afford. It takes away something that makes people's lives easier and more enjoyable -- and don't we all need as many of those things as we can?

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I challenge Hamby's post. As an expert at spotting self-serving interests, I noticed that Hamby's hands-free phone website lists Blue Ant as one of his website's partners.

Also saying "I know of no documentation that supports his statements" doesn't mean said documentation is false. Ignorance (especially when profitable) is bliss.

So now people will have accidents trying to figure out a hands free device. And hands free doesn;t always mean you don;t have to push something to responds. Most people will NOT set up voice activation and will still have the issues.

This is a stupid rule implemented to make it seem as if government is doing something about a problem they cannot control.

If it's not seat belts, it's hands-free cell. If it's not that, it banning eating, smoking, drinkin, listening to radio, kids, etc.

You CANNOT comensate for poor driving with regulations. PERIOD!