SACRAMENTO — Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Wednesday condemned one of the most prototypical Los Angeles driving practices -- grasping a steering wheel with one hand and a cellphone with the other -- and gave a strong boost to legislative efforts to outlaw hand-held mobile phones throughout California.
During an online interview with a reporter broadcast over the Internet, Schwarzenegger called such driving distractions "terrible" and "inexcusable" and said: "We have to see if the right way to go is through a bill or any other way, but I think we must make sure that people don't use phones, because it not only endangers them but it endangers everyone else out there."
He said he has tailed his 16-year-old daughter, Katherine, while she was driving and warned her she would be taking the bus if he caught her using her cellphone while behind the wheel.
For the last five years, California lawmakers have introduced bills banning hand-held cellphones but to no avail. But in May, the measure squeezed through the state Senate, which had been the strongest place of resistance, with no votes to spare. The bill will be voted on in the Assembly next month; because that chamber approved a similar measure in 2003, its prospects are considered strong, and one committee has already endorsed it.
Sen. Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto), the sponsor of SB 1613, said he was encouraged by Schwarzenegger's comments. "Anyone who drives a Hummer probably knows how important it is to keep control of your vehicle," he said in a telephone interview.
Despite mounting evidence that cellphones distract drivers, only New Jersey, New York, Connecticut and the District of Columbia have outlawed holding one while driving. Like the laws in those states, Simitian's bill would permit the operation of hands-free phones and hand-held ones in the case of emergencies -- such as the kind that concern the police, not ones involving being late to a meeting.
If approved by the Assembly and signed by Schwarzenegger, Simitian's bill would make driving while using a hand-held cellphone an infraction, punishable by a $20 fine for the first offense and $50 for subsequent ones. The rule would take effect July 1, 2008, and would be enforced by the CHP as well as local police and sheriff's departments.
Previous efforts to restrict the use of cellphones in cars have stalled in the Legislature amid disagreements about whether the problem is holding the phone or talking on any phone, even through a headset.
