Mobiles banned for young drivers
September 18, 2007

Car drivers aged 16 to 18 years will not be allowed to use mobile phones while driving. That is the content of a new law signed by California's governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Arnold signed the new law surrounded by high school students.

The rationale behind the new law is that teenage drivers are said to have too little experience in driving to be able to do several things simultaneously. The law also bans use of other electronic equipment such as pagers and notebooks while behind the wheel.

- The simple fact is that teenage drivers are more easily distracted. They are young, inexperienced and have a slower reaction time. We want to eliminate any extra distractions so they can focus on paying attention to the road and being good drivers, Schwarzenegger said when signing the bill into law.

The punishment for getting caught talking on the mobile is 20 dollars at the first occasion, and then 50 dollars per additional incident.

The law says nothing about people getting their driver's licences after having turned 18 years old. At the same time, a law was passed requiring all mobile-speaking drivers over 18 to use hands-free while driving.

By: Henrik Thoresson, Jonas Kämpe