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Gov. Jerry Brown on Monday signed Assembly Bill 1785, significantly expanding California’s restrictions on the use of mobile phones behind the wheel. This restriction will take effect on January 1, 2017.


You definitely can’t use GPS on your phone while driving!

A big NO for taking selfies, watching TV shows, let alone playing Pokémon Go!

While it is already illegal for drivers to call or text without a hands-free device, the law is silent on features like navigation apps that were not in widely used on cellphones when Legislature passed the original measures more than eight years ago.

 “In the U.S., every 4 in 10 drivers admit to using their phones to check social media networks while driving. (e.g. 14% of the drivers check their Instagram.) In California, accidents involving distracted driving from using cellphones caused 12 fatal collisions, 500 injuries and 700 car crashes in 2015.”

“The whole point is to prevent distracted driving,” Quirk, the Assemblyman said on the Assembly floor.

This bill forbids drivers from holding and operating cellphones for any reason, except for functions that require only “the motion of a single swipe or tap of the driver’s finger”, and only if the devices are mounted on or affixed to the dashboard or windshield of the car.

Under the law, drivers face anywhere from a $20 fine for a first-time offense to a $50 fine for every subsequent offense. (Click to see how to remove points to save your premium)