800-242-5846
New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs
www.NJConsumerAffairs.gov
■ If you do not want to receive telemarketer calls on
your cell phone, call the National Do Not Call
Registry at 888-382-1222 from the cell phone
you wish to register. Registration is free.
TALKING AND TEXTING WHILE DRIVING
Texting or talking while driving is a distracted, dangerous
activity that diverts a person’s attention away from the
primary task of driving. According to the National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in 2010 alone,
over 3,000 people were killed in distracted driving crashes.
Almost every state in the nation has some type of restriction
about using a mobile device while driving. Visit www.
ghsa.org/html/stateinfo/laws/cellphone_laws.html.
New Jersey has one of the toughest laws in the nation
about the use of cell phones while driving:
■ Drivers must use hands-free devices while talking
on cell phones ($100 fine plus costs).
■ Text messaging and the use of video games are
prohibited while driving.
■ School bus operators are prohibited from using
cell phones while driving.
■ Drivers under the age of 21 with learner’s permits
or probationary licenses are prohibited from using
cell phones, texting devices and other hand-held or
hands-free wireless electronic devices while driving
(including iPods).
New Jersey also has adopted a law allowing prosecution
of cell phone users if they drive recklessly and cause
serious harm or death. Penalties could include prison
time and fines up to $150,000, similar to drunken driver
punishments. The legislation, A1074, was tagged as
“Kulesh, Kubert and Bolis’ Law,” after New Jersey victims
of distracted driving accidents. Hand-held cell phone users
causing serious crashes while driving would be prosecuted
under criminal homicide or assault-by-vehicle laws. Visit
Handsfreeinfo.com or www.distraction.gov for more
information about distracted driving, or write to or call:
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
200 New Jersey Avenue SE
Washington DC 20590
1-888-327-4236 | 1-800-424-9153
CELL PHONES AND RADIATION SCAMS
The increase in cell phone use has generated concern
about possible health risks related to radio-frequency
electromagnetic fields from this technology, and a market
for shields as possible protection against the radio waves
the phones emit. There is no scientific proof that these
shields significantly reduce the exposure. In fact, these
shields may interfere with the phone’s signal, causing it
to draw even more power to communicate with the base
station and possibly emit more radiation. The Federal
Trade Commission (www.ftc.gov) has some practical
tips to help you avoid scams and limit your exposure to
electromagnetic emissions from your cell phone:
■ Increase the distance between you and your phone
by using an earpiece or the speakerphone feature.
■ Consider texting more and limiting your cell
phone use to short conversations.
■ Wait for a good signal. A weak signal makes your
phone work harder and emit more radiation.
■ A phone’s specific absorption rate (SAR) reveals the
maximum amount of radiation the human body
absorbs from the phone while it’s transmitting.
SAR testing ensures that the devices sold in the
U.S. comply with the Federal Communications
Commission’s SAR exposure limit. For more
information about SAR you can view “SAR For
Cell Phones: What It Means For You.” by visiting
www.fcc.gov.
■ For information on cell phone and health
issues, go to the National Cancer Institute’s (www.
cancer.gov) fact sheet about cancer risk and cell
phones.
Division of Consumer Affairs
973-504-6200 • 800-242-5846
(toll free within New Jersey)
www.NJConsumerAffairs.gov