It is now illegal to send text messages while driving in California.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has signed a law making it illegal to read or send text messages while driving in California.
The bill imposes a $20 fine for a first offense and $50 for repeat offenders using any electronic devices to read or send messages, starting next year.
Schwarzenegger said the law he signed Wednesday encourages drivers to keep their hands on the wheel and their eyes on the road.
At twenty bucks for a first offense, and fifty a pop thereafter? I think there’s a nontrivial number of people who’d see that as a cost of doing business, not a deterrent. If this is such a big deal, why not set a fine that will make people think twice? I don’t get the logic here.