future so bright, i gotta wear shades: US Cell Phone Car Bans

The prior post reference on state law restrictions on the use of cell phones while driving triggered a new post -- US Cell Phone Bans while driving!

First, here's the link to the Governors Highway Safety Association consolidating the state laws in one place. As of Mar 2007, the highlights are as follows:

Fourteen states and the District of Columbia have special cell phone restrictions for novice drivers.
School bus drivers in 12 states are prohibited from all cell phone use when passengers are present, except for in emergencies.
No state completely bans all types of cellphone use (handheld and hands-free) while driving.
Connecticut, New York, New Jersey and the District of Columbia have enacted jurisdiction-wide bans on driving while talking on handheld cell phones. California has passed a similar law that will go into affect in July, 2008. Many other states ban cell phone use in specific situations.
Some states, such as Utah and New Hampshire, treat cell phone use as a larger "distracted driving" issue.
Because there are few studies and little crash data available, states are beginning to take a more active role in improving data collection. DeKalb County, Georgia has begun sanctioning drivers whose "improper" usage of a mobile phone was a "contributing factor" in a collision causing death, injury or damage. The law is likely the first of its kind in Georgia and perhaps elsewhere.

Of all the states and jurisdictions, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, District of Columbia, and California require or will require the use of hands free devices while driving except for emergencies.

So what are these hands free devices? Headsets or earphones are probably the easiest way to describe hands free devices. These can be purchased as added accessories. Hands free devices can be as simple as earphones with mics that can be plugged into most cell phones, such as the Samsung Handsfree Headset for Most Devices (pictured below).

More and more, recent trends in the consumer market refer to hands free devices as from the Bluetooth line of technology for wireless use. This means that you can buy car kits for hands free use of your cell phone while driving. The choices range from car use only to portable use at home/office or elsewhere.

For example,VXI CORPORATION has the B150 Bluetooth Headset and Charger for Bluetooth-enabled cell phones and PC. It comes with the following simple setup:

a car battery charger,
30' receiving range from BlueParrott base,
noise canceling microphone to reduce background noise,
vehicle charging cord and AC adaptor

It garners some great reviews from truckers. They credit the noise reduction capability.

I'll review other hands free devices in future posts. The ones here should be a good introduction to the technology. The possible penalty is around $50 USD per infraction.