Auto accidents happen routinely in California in Palm Springs, Palm Desert, San Diego, Orange County, CA, Newport Beach, Corona del Mar, Laguna Beach, Huntington Beach, Anaheim, Santa Ana, Fullerton, Fontana, Ontario, Rancho Cucamonga, Riverside, Perris, Hemet, Banning, Beaumont, Indio, Coachella, La Quinta, and just about anywhere. If you've been in one, you've probably been wondering if the California state legislators are working on any new laws to try to prevent accidents.

I had heard that the state's legislators were rushing to pass a new set of laws to prevent auto accidents so I called one of my state Senators to learn how this would affect car drivers in California and personal injury victims. I was in for a big surprise.

"So you're outlawing texting?" I asked.

"We're on it, we're on it" the Senator said.

"What are you thinking about prohibiting to prevent auto accidents?" I asked.

"For one thing, no more grooming of any kind," the Senator said.

"That's good," I said. "No more watching people work on their faces or their hair while they're driving."

"No, no, we're talking about grooming their dogs. That's verboten now. But I suppose we might as well add human grooming while we're at it."

"What about eating and drinking coffee," I asked.

The Senator frowned. "The fast food industry wouldn't like that, but drinking alcohol is still not allowed if you are in your car."

"Okay, what about making it an offense to be read?"

"You want to get on the bad side of literacy advocates?" the Senator asked. "Still, maybe we could get outlaw the reading of liberal newspapers," the Republican said.

"Forget that I asked," I said.

"What about watching TV while driving?" I asked. "Surely that should be stopped."

"Are you crazy? Those minivan TVs are one of the few areas in which the car industry is making any money. They have to stay," the Senator said.

"So what are you considering outlawing?" I asked.

"Well, you'd probably be surprised what some people do in their cars."

"Nothing would surprise me," I said. "I'm a personal injury lawyer."

"You'll be glad to hear that in the not too distant future drivers won't be allowed to use a blender or get a massage while in their car."

"Okay," I said. "The fewer distractions on the road, the better, I suppose."

"Also, no more cooking in your auto, suv, or minivan," the Senator said proudly.

"Did a restaurant association suggest that?" I asked.

The Senator ignored my comment. "We're also going to make it illegal to be using your computer while driving."

"What about those computer navigational systems?" I asked.

"They're okay."

"Synthesizer?"

"I'm not sure,."the Senators said. Not seeing it on his list, he said, "Probably."

"Car computers for gas efficiency, mileage, tire pressure and the like?"

"Still fine."

"What kind of computers won't be allowed?" I asked.

"We're working on that," the Senator said.

"Sounds like you've got your work cut out for you," I said. "But what about having people just use their common sense not to do things that make it hard to concentrate on driving?"

"Being an auto accident lawyer, I thought you knew," the Senator said. "If there isn't a law against it, someone's always going to think it's okay to do."

"So what about texting?" I asked.

"We're working on it," the Senator said.

News Note - On October 1, 2008, Governor Schwarzenegger banned motorists from texting, writing or reading messages on electronic devices. The law goes into effect January 1, 2009.