Crime & Safety

Cell Phone Fines to Double in Sonoma County

The bill has already sparked more conversation locally about getting using cell phones while driving reclassified from a simple fine to a form of DUI.

State lawmakers Monday passed SB 28, sponsored by Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto, that would nearly double fines for talking on cell phones or texting while driving.

Currently a first offense is just $20 and a second is $50. The new law would hike those fees to $50 for the first violation and $100 for the next, according to bill sponsors. 

After county fees are assessed that cost would increase from between $160 and $180 to about $310 for the first violation, according to officials with the Sonoma County Courthouse traffic division.

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According to Simitian's office, AAA and California's Office of Traffic Safety, between 60 and 70 percent of drivers on the road follow the state's "hands-free" cell phone laws.

The first law, passed in July 2008, made it illegal to talk on the phone while driving. A second law passed in November 2009 goes further, making writing, reading or sending texts punishable by fine.

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California Highway Patrol data show that during the law's first year, there was a 20 percent reduction in fatalities and collisions statewide, compared to the annual average over the previous 3-5 years.

Furthermore, according to the CHP, there was an additional 40 to 50 percent drop in the number of distracted driving accidents in California after more stringent cell phone laws went into effect.

The issue of making more serious penalties for using cell phones while driving is particularly visible in Rohnert Park, where by a college student who was using her cell phone when she ran over Calli and her mother, Ling, Dec. 1.

The Murray family and a band of community activists continue to rally local and state elected officials for steeper penalties for talking or texting while driving. In February, the 2-year-old's death ignited a conversation throughout about getting the violation .


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