New York will become the first state to ban the use of hand-held cell phones in vehicles when Gov. George Pataki signs a bill approved Monday by the state Assembly.

The ban is scheduled to go into effect Nov. 1, with fines of up to $100. Police will issue only warnings during the first month, and until the end of February, violators can get their tickets dismissed with proof of purchase of a hands-free cell phone system.
According to the Associated Press, lawmakers decided to pass the legislation after a recent independent poll found that 85 percent of voters in the state favor such a ban.
Bans have been proposed in approximately 40 states, but until now, Connecticut was the only state to even get a bill through one house of its legislature. At least a dozen localities have established bans in the last two years, and at least 23 countries bar drivers from using hand-held cell phones, according to the Associated Press.
Opponents of such laws say more study is needed, that the law will be largely unenforceable, that education would be a more effective way to address the issue, and that it doesn't make sense to single out cell phones as opposed to other types of driver-distracting activities, such as eating or putting on makeup. (See "State Leaders Say Cell Phone Legislation Premature."