California Personal Injury Lawyers – Are They Shocked at Maria Shriver’s Violation of Cell Phone Laws?
It appears that paparazzi have caught Maria Shriver, wife of California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, talking on a cell phone while driving, which is a violation of a ban that was passed into law two years ago. This law was put into effect to reduce the risk of accidents that are caused due to distractions while driving. Ms. Shriver has been caught driving while talking on a handheld cell phone three times since this law went into effect.
These reports began due to the online buzz at TMZ, which posted a video showing Shriver talking on a cell phone while she was driving her vehicle. Recently, TMZ posted pictures of her driving while talking on her cell phone, but in this recent video which is 17 seconds in length, it isn’t clear whether she put her cell phone down because she was finished with her conversation, or because she realized that the paparazzi was following her.
A $20 fine for first time violations and $50 for subsequent violations was put into action by Governor Schwarzenegger last year, and during the first year 112,000 tickets were handed out by the California Highway Patrol for violations of the cell phone law. There is no way to know the true number of infractions, as county and local police departments were not keeping records according to the California Office of Highway Safety.
Auto safety advocates really don’t see the Governors wife being caught talking on her cell phone while driving as making much of an impression. The ban on handheld devices while driving hasn’t really done much to prevent accidents thus far, but Los Angeles personal injury lawyers believe that having a ban is better than having no ban at all.
Motorists still use handheld cell phones while driving, and changing these behaviors will take a lot of work, as witnessed by Shrivers actions of talking on her cell phone knowing full well that paparazzi could be filming her at any moment. Another contributing factor to the continued use of these devices while behind the wheel may be the ridiculously low fines imposed.
“Heads Up Driving Week” was recently held by AAA Northern California. During this week, motorists were asked to endure one week of driving without distractions, including eating, switching radio stations and talking on cell phones. This was an attempt to persuade motorists to practice driving without distractions at all times. If our Governor and his family would lead by following the law, perhaps others would have more initiative to do the same.
The Reeves Law Group has offices across California, and is dedicated to representing Los Angeles personal injury victims, including victims of car accidents. Contact us for a free consultation at (800) 644-8000.