Hands Off

On Friday, a new Maryland law goes into effect requiring hands-free gear when using the phone in the car.

We saw this in a Verizon Wireless press release today.

Maryland will join the District of Columbia and seven other states (Calif., Conn., Del., Wash., N.J., N.Y., and Oregon) that require drivers to use a hands-free device while operating a motor vehicle. The new law will be a secondary offense, meaning that a driver must first commit a primary offense, such as speeding or reckless driving before they can be ticketed. The fine for a first offense is $40 and subsequent offenses will cost a driver $100.