There are loads of state laws out there prohibiting cell phone use while driving, at least without a hands-free device, but how many people actually follow them? It's not like cops can really see if you've got a phone up to your ear when you're speeding down the highway. No matter how dangerous it is, people will keep talking on their phones until there's a real threat of punishment.
Well, a real threat might exist soon if a new technology takes off. Coming this fall, it incorporates roadside devices that can somehow sense when a phone is being used in passing cars. It can then take snaps of license plates so you get ticketed later for your illegal yapping. How it'll differentiate between a hands-free setup and someone holding the phone to their head is unclear, but if they get it working people might think twice before scrolling through their phone book while going 70 MPH.
Highway and Safety Technology (PDF), via The Raw Feed
editor@dvice.com
By davejl at 9:08 AM ON 06/19/07
Ignoring the problem with telling whether you're using a hands-free setup of not, what if a passenger is using their phone? that would be completely impossible to tell unless they snap a picture of the driver himself.
By acomalegend at 3:13 PM ON 06/20/07
Not only do they not know if a passenger is on the phone, or if you are old school using a wired headset (no bluetooth signal to pick up) but you could very well use a speak phone which is legal... This article is garbage!