California hands-free law sparks Bluetooth boon

The numbers are in for Bluetooth headset sales in California, and the retail hype around the new hands-free-driving law seems to have paid off. The law boosted device sales to four times the national average, according to a report by retail market researcher The NPD Group.

A display at a San Francisco RadioShack touts Bluetooth headsets prior to the July 1 implementation of the law.

(Credit: Holly Jackson/CNET News)

NPD said California's four largest markets--San Francisco, Sacramento, Los Angeles, and San Diego--saw a major Bluetooth boost in the months before the law went into effect effect July 1.

In March, San Francisco sold two times more Bluetooth headsets than the national average. By May that number had risen to four times the national average in all four cities.

In other U.S. cities, where laws requiring drivers to use headsets when talking on cell phones have not been implemented, Bluetooth sets sold below the national average.

While NPD will not release the amount of revenue generated by the sales, it said the data was calculated by units of Bluetooth headsets sold per store.

According to Ross Rubin, director of industry analysis for market researcher NPD, the hands-free laws have helped Bluetooth makers, which are designing new headsets due to increased consumer demand.

[scifidaddyo]

Although I think using a handsfree device makes talking on a phone and driving a bit safer, I'd rather see some sort of two way communication between the car and the phone such that if the car was in any gear other than Park, the phone would not work. But as soon as you put the car in Park, the phone would work. This would also solve the problem of texting and driving.

[DustinJones]

I read about the new law on handsfreelawinfo.com. I think the law is bogus but who knows, they say it will save 300 lives per year from talking on the phone, but how many more die from eating a hamburger or doing their makeup?