California Teen Cell Phone Use Ban While Driving

[Maitre]

Again, I'd say its still covered by a reckless driving law.

I cut out much of your post to save space. First, let me say that I support a ban of hand held phones while driving (for all persons of driving age). I'm well aware of how driving with one hand impairs my ability to control a vehicle and a conversation splits my attention from driving. I do, however, beleieve that certain calls may be necessary, and so phone use should not be entirely banned.

With regard to defining reckless driving as inclusive of distracted driving: I am in favor of this as well, but I feel that reckless driving is a crimainal charge generally resulting from a collision with another party or some fixed object. Reckless driving may be a very good description of what teens, and others do, while driving and doing other things at the same time, but creating a specific provision banning cell phone use allows a traffic stop to occurr before a collision. I think this law is intended to function like seat-belt laws: give police an additional, lawful, cause to stop a driver who may not yet have crossed the line into recklessness.