I have one suggestion to help solve our budget debacle: Effective today, have every law enforcement representative across the state, including local authorities, immediately start ticketing for hands-on cell phone usage while driving. Every day I could easily hand out three tickets per car trip, even in my small commute between Nipomo and Santa Maria. If I spent longer on Highway 101, I could easily hand out at least six tickets per hour. At $200 per each first-event, I believe the budgets of local communities and the state could easily be positively relieved, plus the safety of the public could be enhanced, saving us untold costs in hospital, traffic, and emergency management.
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It truly is appalling to see the number of hands off the steering wheel being used to text, talk, and potentially surf the web. These drivers’ hands aren’t focused on driving safely and neither are their minds. Please make this change immediately. This is a policy where California can lead the nation in cracking down for safety and bring in needed funds while doing so.
This article appears in Jul 30 – Aug 6, 2009.