Celine Hakimianpour, staff writer
It is an undeniable fact that driving while talking on the phone is a huge distraction that often results in car accidents. California law states that all citizens over the age of 18 must use a wireless device such as those that feature Bluetooth while driving. However, all citizens under the age of 18 are prohibited from using Bluetooth.
The restrictions placed upon those under the age of 18 are uncalled for.  It is unclear why there cannot be a law that states that all citizens who have their license are allowed to use a hands free device, such as Bluetooth, while driving. If a minor were spotted using Bluetooth, that minor would receive a first offense fine of $76. The second offense results in a $190 fine. So, while minors believe they are doing the right thing by using Bluetooth and not using a handheld device, minors actually get fined for it.
Some may argue that minors are more likely to be involved in car crashes because of the many distractions for a new driver. However, there are plenty of elderly citizens out there who cause the same amount of motor vehicle accidents, if not more. According to a statistic about age-related driving concerns collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2012, drivers around the age of 65 faced a high risk of being involved in a car crash.
Not to say that teens don’t ever get distracted, but this just goes to show that even the more experienced elderly drivers get distracted, too. The governments needs to realize that minors should have the option of using Bluetooth while driving just like the rest of the citizens. All that the restriction is doing to minors is giving them the opportunity to “break” the law just by making a phone call with Bluetooth. All in all, if the government wants to decrease the risk of motor accidents by preventing distractions like hand held devices such as cell phones, teenagers should be incorporated into the already existing law that allows for citizens over the age of 18 to use a hands-free device while driving.The law should not just be targeted at a certain age group.