“Drivers aware of new cell phone law”

Posted: 01 Jan 2011 01:12 AM PST

Rob Major has seen the electronic billboard on I-95 as he enters Delaware reminding him that it becomes illegal to drive with his cell phone up to his ear starting Sunday.

That's why the 38-year-old Newark man was shopping for a new hands-free listening and talking device Friday at the Verizon Wireless store in the Center Pointe Plaza in Stanton.

"I was definitely aware of [the new law] and preparing for it as well," said Major, who commutes to College Park, Md., every day.

Delaware's new law bans sending text messages while operating a motor vehicle and talking on a handheld cell phone while behind the wheel.

Drivers may pick up a cell phone to dial a number, but the law requires they use hands-free equipment in order to talk while driving.

Wireless-phone dealers say they have seen an uptick in sales in recent weeks for Bluetooth and other devices that allow drivers to accept and make calls without holding a phone to an ear.

"It has increased the sales, definitely," said Jay Kang, owner of First State Wireless in New Castle.

Increased sales for wireless devices has extended across state lines, as New Jersey and Maryland have similar laws requiring two hands on the wheel.

At Select One Wireless in Booth's Corner Farmers Market in Boothwyn, Pa., owner Imran Bajwa says he has sold several Bluetooth earpieces and car kits in recent weeks to customers who work or live in Delaware and New Jersey.

"Everybody's trying to be compliant," Bajwa said.

Bajwa said he overstocked his shelves in the destination market, anticipating additional sales after Christmas. "We knew there would be demand after the holidays because of the new law," said Bajwa, whose warehouse and Internet sales operation is based in Newark.

Earpieces that connect wirelessly to a cell phone remain a top-selling item, according to dealers.

But many customers are choosing to equip their cars with wireless receivers that attach to a windshield visor and connect directly to a Bluetooth-enabled phone, said Lisa Fontana, manager of the Verizon Wireless store on Churchmans Road.

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Major, a civilian Air Force employee, was shopping for a corded headset instead of a Bluetooth wireless listening device.

"I really don't like anything hanging off my ear," Major said.

Enforcement not easy

Gov. Jack Markell signed the law on July 6, giving the Delaware Office of Highway Safety and other agencies nearly six months to inform the public and out-of-state motorists who travel down the I-95 corridor each day.

"I think our residents are definitely aware of the law," Fontana said.

Enforcing the law is not easy because a police officer has to actually see a driver with his hand on a phone or witness a swerving motorist in order to pull him over, said Sgt. Paul Shavack, public information director for the Delaware State Police.

"We have no plans for a cell-phone saturation patrol or cell-phone checkpoints at this time," Shavack said.

If police catch drivers texting or holding a phone while driving, they can be fined $50 for the first infraction -- and $100 to $200 for each subsequent violation.

Delaware joins Maryland, New York, New Jersey, Washington, D.C., and three other states in prohibiting drivers from talking into a handset or texting.

In 2009, Delaware State Police recorded 230 vehicle crashes involving a driver who was distracted from talking on a cell phone. As of last week, there had been 214 such crashes in 2010, according to the Delaware Office of Highway Safety.

State Rep. Darryl Scott, D-Dover, said he sponsored the ban with the hope of preventing distracted drivers from causing future accidents -- and harm to themselves and others.

Most constituents have reacted positively to the new law, Scott said.

But Scott acknowledged that other residents may not be so happy when they get their first ticket.

"A ticket or two may get their attention," Scott said. "Or a friend or two getting stopped may get their attention."

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