Tuesday, California joined the legion of states that ban talking on a cell phone while driving without a hands-free device. The new law will no doubt be a boon for Bluetooth device resellers because, from Hollywood to Silicon Valley, California does business on the phone, in the car.
The law imposes a $20 fine for the first offense, going up to $50 thereafter. Calls to 911 and calls made by long-distance truckers, tow-truck drivers and drivers of farm equipment are exempt.
California joins states like New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, as well as Washington, D.C., which have had hands-free laws for several years. California's new law doesn't ban talking on the phone, just holding a phone while you talk. And it doesn't ban dialing a number -- potentially more distracting than talking -- just talking.
Boon for Headset Sales
The law went into effect Tuesday, and mobile stores were reporting huge spikes in headset sales. At AT&T's northern California stores, Bluetooth sales were up 30 percent between May and June after rising 20 percent between April and May.
Aliph, maker of the popular Jawbone headset, said sales have been rising rapidly. "We were expecting an onslaught right around this time," said company CEO Hosain Rahman. "Awareness of the legislation is making people look more at solutions."
And those solutions are wireless: NPD Group calculates that non-carrier vendors sold 2.5 million headsets since the beginning of the year, 1.7 million of which were wireless.
It's the Call, Stupid
But does using a hands-free device make drivers any more attentive to the road than using a handset? Sprint had lobbied for Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to veto the bill, saying the law ignores "more significant causes of inattentive driving, including drowsiness, smoking, and adjusting the radio/CD player." Sprint also faulted the law for failing to distinguish between "inexperienced...

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