CALIFORNIA CONSIDERING HANDS-FREE LAW

California is considering imposing a law that would require drivers to keep both hands on the steering wheel — not on their cell phones — while driving. Sen. Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto, introduced a measure to ban the use of handheld phones while driving that passed the Senate last month and will be reviewed by the Assembly Transportation Committee. If passed, drivers would face initial fines of $20, going up to $50 for subsequent offenses in July 2008.

In April, a National Highway Transportation Safety Administration study found that dialing on cell phones and similar devices increased the risk of a crash or near-crash by three times. Talking or listening on the phone increased the driver’s risk by 1.3 times.