California Hands Free Cell Phone Law Takes Effect July 1st!
For those of you who have not heard, Effective July 1st, it will be against the law to talk on a cell phone while driving your car without using a “hands free” device.
As a Real Estate Agent in South Lake Tahoe, I am always on the phone while driving. I will be purchasing a blue tooth tomorrow!
The base fine for the first offence is $20 and $50 for subsequent convictions, although with the addition of penalty assessments, the fines can be more than triple the base fine amount.
There will be no warning period for the new law that takes effect on Tuesday, and the law applies to out of state drivers also.
It will still be legal to dial out and use speaker phone, but I have noticed that the reception is not as good and there is a lot of background noise.
The law does allow a driver to make emergency calls to a law enforcement agency, a medical provider, or the fire department.
I hope that this new law makes our roads safer for my three girls, and I don’t mind using a blue tooth one bit!
