Lillia Cabello
Staff Writer

In an informal survey, seven out of 10 University of La Verne students showed their support for a recently passed state law banning hand-held cell phone use while driving.

The law, which goes into effect in July 2008, not only prohibits motorists from holding a cell phone while driving, but it establishes fines for violations of the bill and requires drivers to use a hands-free headset.

When asked their opinion, the majority of polled students responded in a positive way toward the pending law.

The students thought that it was a necessary bill because many drivers are distracted by their cell phones.

“I agree with the bill being passed because when you’re holding a phone to your ear, you have one hand off the wheel,” said Candice Langham, a junior education major from Temecula.

“I don’t think it’s that much of an inconvenience to just put on a headset,” she added.

According to 2004 data from the California Highway Patrol, police reports showed 775 accidents in which the driver at fault was using a hand-held cell phone. This contrasts greatly with only 28 accidents in which drivers using hand-free phones were to blame.

Keisha Clay, a sophomore communications major from Los Angeles, is another student who agreed with the bill.

“I think the ban on cell phone usage while in the car is a very good idea,” Clay said. “People will be able to talk and focus on the road, because people tend to be so into their conversation that they forget to concentrate.”

State senator Joe Simitian, elected to the state Assembly in 2000, has been pushing the bill for the banning of hand-held cell phone use forward quite some time.

He has put off implementing the bill until July 2008 to give the Department of Motor Vehicles enough time to update its drivers’ handbooks and to give a fair enough warning to motorists. Simitian has pointed to academic research printed in the Accident Analysis and Prevention Journal that stated the risk of death is nine times great for drivers who use a cell phone while driving.

A few students who were surveyed did not agree with the bill being passed. They argued that drivers can be distracted by just about anything.

Beth Vanderwest, a junior liberal studies major, opposed the bill.

“I think there’s plenty of other things that can distract you while you’re driving. You can be smoking, eating, drinking, putting on makeup, doing whatever,” Vanderwest said. “Just taking away this one thing, I don’t know how big of an impact it’s going to make.”

Jonathan Fitzhugh, a junior accounting major from Ontario, and Bjorn Biggles, a senior communications major from Inglewood, both disagree with the bill as well.

“Who the hell is Schwarzenegger to tell us what we can and can’t do,” Fitzhugh said. “Most people are good at multitasking and can handle driving a car and talking on the phone.”

“It’s a dumb idea,” Biggles said. “You can drive with a cell phone and pay attention. It’s pointless as a bill anyways. Unless you stop at a light and a policeman pulls up next to you, there’s really no way to put this into affect.”

Beginning next year, the CHP expects to spend about $500,000 a year to educate drivers about the new law. The base fine for a violation will be $20 for the first offense and $50 for subsequent ones.

The citation would be considered an infraction and not a moving violation.

Cited drivers might also have to pay more because of possible administrative charges added on by cities and counties. California is not the only state to be worried about hand-held cell phone use either. Similar laws have already come into affect in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Washington, D.C.

Lilia Cabello can be reached at lcabello@ulv.edu.