New Crime In New York: Car Tawking - tickets for yapping on your cellular in New York - Brief Article

Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine, Oct, 2001

TECHNOLOGY | At midnight on Halloween, hand-held CELLULAR PHONES will turn into pumpkins for New York State drivers.

EMPIRE State drivers have only a few short weeks to gab on their cell phones without a hands-free device. Starting November 1, cops will issue oral warnings to motorists who are stopped while talking on a hand-held phone. After the one-month training period, violators will be slapped with $100 tickets, although for a few months the courts can waive the penalty on a first offense if drivers show they have rehabilitated themselves and bought a hands-free device.

Similar bans are under consideration in 35 other states, including California, Connecticut, Illinois, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Given the strong support for such laws among voters, sales of devices that enable hands-free calling are poised to take off.

These run the gamut from simple headsets and "earbuds" costing about $25 to do-it-yourself cellphone docking kits with a speaker and microphone that sell for about $125. You can spend a little more and have the kit professionally installed. Or, if you're in the market for a luxury car, you can probably get a hands-free, voice-activated system as a factory-installed option ($800 and up).

Perhaps the niftiest--and least distracting--option is one Motorola and Nokia are working on independently. It will take advantage of Bluetooth, a short-range wireless-communication capability. With a Bluetooth-enabled cell phone, you use a small, voice-actuated wireless headset to place and receive calls without docking your phone or even pulling it out of your pocket or purse.

CELL-PHONE BANS |
Loud and clear

91% Percentage of
Americans who say
using cell phones while
driving increases the
likelihood of an accident.

69% Percentage who
favor laws banning cellphone
use while driving.

35% Percentage who
think drivers would
abide by such a law.

SOURCE: Insurance Research

Council