About a month ago I shared with you my gripe about text messaging and emailing while driving. I think it’s stupid and dangerous, and now I have California and Washington to back me up.

Today marks day one of their statewide bans on use of handheld mobile devices in the car, according to a TechCrunch post this morning. Offenders will be charged a $20 fine, nothing too financially draining, which is a bit disappointing. I’d prefer to slap a steep fine on each and every one of them, particularly repeat offenders. On a side note, hands-free devices are still allowed.

These aren’t the first states to enact such laws; New York, New Jersey, Washington D.C. and Connecticut have had similar laws for years. But they are obviously the most recent, and they reinforce the need to focus on newer technologies. Perhaps a workable, voice-activated, in-vehicle system that translates text from emails, text messages or the Web in to sound, so you can listen to the information you need rather than read it.

Who knows what the future holds for such a technology, maybe we won’t need it because people will stop using their mobile devices in the car altogether. Doubtful. Either way, it’s just a matter of time before states and countries everywhere realize the danger hand-held mobile devices pose for drivers and start enacting laws of their own.

      del.icio.us   SphereIt   Reddit   Furl