On January 1, 2008, driving and calling will be forbidden for Californians who don’t use hands-free car kits. Offenders will get a $20 fine while repeat offenders get their fine upped to $50. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and the California Highway Patrol are not joking about in-car security!

According to Sen. Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto: “Cell phones are the No. 1 cause of distracted-driving accidents in California. Accidents by drivers using hand-held phones outnumber those driving hands-free by a ratio of 25 to one.”

There’s never been a better time to switch to a Bluetooth phone and a Bluetooth hands-free car kit, isn’t it?

Read more about the new law on the San Jose Mercury News site