California Cellular Phone Laws

A number of new California laws will go into effect beginning January 2009. One of the better known new laws is the "Texting while driving" law. To see a legislative history of this new law, click here.

This new cellular phone law will compliment the currently enforced "Hands-free" law which has been in effect since July 1, 2008; during which time, the California Highway Patrol has issued over 40,000 citations for violations. You can read the legislative history of the "Hands-free" law and California Vehicle Code section 23123.

Some research has been conducted on the possible benefits of these cellular phone laws. The National Conference of State Legislatures issued "Cell Phones and Highway Safety" in 2005 (prior to the passage of the bill leading to the "Hands-free" law). More recently, the Public Policy Institute of California issued "What to Expect from California’s New Hands-Free Law" in May 2008. To find more recent research on cellular phone laws or motorist behavior, try searching the collections of the National Transportation Library and the Research and Development Publications issued by the California DMV.

World AIDS Day

December 1, 2008 marked the 20th annual World AIDS Day.

There are numerous government sources for information on HIV/AIDS research, community resources, and data.

California Resources:

• Office of AIDS: links to community HIV/AIDS resources including testing and other services and general information about HIV/AIDS

US Resources:

• AIDS.gov: access to US Government HIV/AIDS information from a variety of Federal sources


• National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention: from the Centers for Disease Control


• HIV/AIDS Today Factsheets: weekly fact sheets from the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform

United Nations Resources:

• UNAIDS: joint venture of ten UN system organizations, information on international HIV/AIDS policies and practices


• World Health Organization and HIV/AIDS: information on international HIV/AIDS occurrence, prevention, and treatment

For statistical information on HIV/AIDS:

• HIV/AIDS Monthly Statistics (for California)


• HIV/AIDS Statistics and Surveillance: US statistics from the CDC


• UNAIDS/WHO Global HIV/AIDS Online Database: "collates the most recent country-specific data on the spread and impact of the virus, together with information on risk behaviours"