When does the cell phone hands free law go into effect in Calif.?

Answer 1

I believe it would be next year!! :(

Answer 2

http://www.edmunds.com/ownership/safety/articles/117834/article.html

The stereotype of a California driver has always included a cell phone held to the ear, but that might change soon. A law banning the use of handheld cellular phones while operating a motor vehicle in California will take effect July 1, 2008.

Officially known as the California Wireless Telephone Automobile Safety Act of 2006, the new Golden State law mandates a base fine of $20 for a first offense and $50 for each subsequent offense. California drivers will still be permitted to have a wireless conversation while driving if they use hands-free technology, such as a Bluetooth device.

In signing the bill, Governor Schwarzenegger said, "The simple fact is it's dangerous to talk on your cell phone while driving. CHP [California Highway Patrol] data show that cell phones are the No. 1 cause of distracted-driving accidents. The 'Hands-Free' cell phone bill will save lives."

But it's not that simple. All the safety experts we interviewed for this story insisted that switching from handheld to hands-free phones will not negate the inherent risk of driving while having a cell phone conversation.

"It's the intellectual distraction of the conversation itself that's at fault," said Mantill Williams, AAA's national director of public affairs.

Russ Rader, spokesman for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), agreed. "The risk is the same whether using hands-free or handheld," Rader said. "Our study in 2005 confirmed that the risk of injury was four times higher [than not phoning while driving], whether using hands-free or handheld."