Texting While Driving is Against the Law

Being distracted while driving can be very risky. If a driver is not fully paying attention to the road around him or her, they run the chance of hitting something they could have avoided. Car accidents can be very destructive, especially at higher speeds. An accident can severely hurt, or even kill, yourself or someone else. Nobody wants that, which is why there are laws against distracted driving.

Sending A Text Behind The Wheel

Texting while driving is against the law in the State of California. That has been the case for several years, and it continues to be the case now, even with the recent amendments to the distracted driving laws here in the state.

It used to be, that the distracted driving laws specifically targeted things such as texting and driving. However, due to their specific nature, they left out a lot of other uses that smart phones have. With the new changes that took place in January of 2017, more scenarios are prohibited under distracted driving laws.

The new laws now prohibit the use of any wireless device while behind the wheel of a car. A drive can no longer use his or her smartphone for anything while driving. This is meant to help keep both hands on the wheel, and all of the driver’s focus on the road.

Drivers over the age of 18 are still allowed to use wireless devices if they are in a hands-free mode.

With the new laws, drivers are still permitted to use their devices for calling and texting, but only when using hands-free methods, such as voice controls. However, this exception is only for drivers who are over the age of 18. There are still some instances when using a device while driving is allowed, and they are:

• The driver is using a factory installed system in the vehicle.
• The driver is turning of a GPS function on a smart phone, provided the action only takes one swipe or tap of the screen.

A driver caught using a wireless device while driving, for the first time will face a $20 dollar fine. A second and any subsequent offense will earn the driver a $50. This may not sound like much, these are just base numbers. After assessment of the situation, the fines will most likely increase to $150 for a first-time offense and over $250 for any subsequent offenses.

Ultimately, texting while driving is not worth it. Not only does a person run the risk of paying a fine, they run the risk of causing a serious accident. A distracted driver can very easily bring harm to themselves or someone else simply because they were not paying enough attention while driving.

What’s your take? Do you know someone who like to send text while driving?