New
Jersey drivers will have to be more careful while driving and using
their cell phones this weekend because starting March 1 they could be
fined $250 for violating the state's hands‐free law - the most
expensive hands‐free fine in the nation.
The state of New Jersey
originally adopted hands‐free legislation as a secondary offense in
July 2004, making the use of cellular phones while driving punishable
by fines ranging from $100‐$250 but drivers could only be ticketed in
conjunction with another traffic violation.
Beginning Saturday,
however, the law becomes a primary offense allowing police to pull over
drivers solely for using a cell phone will driving. If caught using
phones without a hands‐free device, drivers will face a fine of $250
for talking on the phone and $100 for text messaging.
Connecticut,
New York and District of Columbia all have primary laws and levy fines
up to a $100 for the first infraction, with New York's increasing to
$200 and $500, for the second or third violation, respectively.
The
change in legislation has New Jersey's 6.2 million drivers more
seriously considering the various hands‐free solutions available today
which include both portable and professionally installed car kits.
"New
Jersey has definitely raised the bar for enforcing its hands‐free law
and drivers have a compelling choice to make," says Ed Valdez,
President and COO of Parrot, Inc., the world's leading supplier of car
kits for original equipment and aftermarket installation.
"In
addition to the slogan 'click it or ticket' for seat belts, New Jersey
drivers can now add 'pair it or ticket' for not having a Bluetooth
hands‐free device. Choosing a handsfree solution is also a wise
investment - you can purchase entry level solutions for less than $89
which is far less than the $250 you could get for the first violation."
Apparently,
drivers in the New York tri‐state area are beginning to get the
message.
Parrot's entire range of
hands‐free solutions are enabled by Bluetooth technology, allowing
seamless, wireless pairing of any Bluetooth‐enabled cell phone to its
innovative line of plug and play and installed car kit options. The new
technology being built into cell phones and Parrot car kits not only
enables hands‐free phone calls using voice recognition, but also
streaming music.
"Drivers are now caught in the Bluetooth wave here
in the U.S.,. "Bluetooth‐enabled cell phones accounted for
about 70 percent of new phones sold in the fourth quarter of 2007 while
MP3 capability was integrated in nearly 50 percent them. Using a
Bluetooth‐enabled hands‐free solution with new features like audio
streaming may no longer be a luxury but a necessity."
New Jersey
drivers can choose from a variety of hands‐free cell phone products,
including the popular Parrot MINIKIT, a portable Bluetooth speakerphone
or the new Parrot MK6100, a full‐featured installed hands‐free car kit
with streaming music. Another plug and play solution is the Parrot
PMK5800, a Bluetooth hands‐free kit that lets consumers stream music
from a Bluetooth‐enabled phone, MP3 player, iPod® or smartphone
through
a car's audio system.
Background
The "Parrot Tri‐State Hands‐Free
Study" released last October by Parrot and Harris Interactive, found
the following statistics around New Jersey drivers and hands‐free
driving legislation: