According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, nearly 80 percent of crashes are caused by driver distraction, and 65 percent of near-crashes involved some form of driver inattention within three seconds before the event. And, according to the California Highway Patrol, cell phone use is the number one cause of distracted driving accidents — which often lead to traffic fatalities. But on July 1, the statistics will hopefully change, as motorists in California and Washington State will have to comply with the new hands-free legislation that makes holding a cell phone while driving illegal and requires a hands-free device for mobile phone use.

Funkwerk Americas, a leading provider of in-vehicle Bluetooth® handsfree mobile car kits, views the law as an opportunity for motorists to educate themselves about the options available to comply with the July 1st hands-free legislation, including the company's EGO line of hands-free car kits.

"We are already experiencing tremendous business growth but also understand there is a bit of a learning curve with consumers when it comes to choosing the best hands-free option," says Stan Gafner, Funkwerk Americas' president and CEO. "Our EGO line of hands-free car kits provides simple plug-n-play solutions to professionally installed devices with added benefits like Bluetooth audio streaming (A2DP) and text-to-speech technology that reads aloud incoming text messages. Regardless, consumers can rely on EGO's superior sound quality and attractive designs to fulfill their hands-free needs."

Funkwerk Americas' EGO Bluetooth hands-free systems offer a range of styles and advanced features that appeal to all motorists and help them stay safe and enjoy the full convenience of mobile technologies while driving. All EGO Bluetooth hands-free car kits support mobile phone-based voice commands, incorporate DSP technology for premium quality and are compatible with the popular Apple iPhone.

The EGO product line includes:

- EGO CUP (MAP $111): EGO CUP is ideal for those consumers looking for an affordable and simplistic hands-free solution, but without compromising sound quality. Priced at $100, the EGO CUP is user friendly and is powered by a cigarette lighter adapter. EGO CUP fits in any car cup holder, and can be also mounted on other surfaces.
- EGO TALK (MAP $152): The sharp and compact EGO TALK helps you stay connected by integrating music (A2DP) and conversations into the car's stereo system. The A2DP support allows playback of MP3 songs stored on an iPod, mobile phone or any other Bluetooth-enabled MP3 player.
- EGO FLASH (MAP $240) and EGO LOOK (MAP $350): EGO FLASH and EGO LOOK are for consumers looking for more advanced functionalities and benefits from a premium, professionally installed car kit. Both devices incorporate Bluetooth audio streaming (A2DP), voice recognition with name/number dialing, feature for reading aloud incoming text messages and a user-friendly interface to display phone functions, such as Caller ID.

All EGO products, except the EGO CUP require professional in-vehicle installation.

Neglect of the new law will results in being pulled over and issued a fine. In California, first offenders (18 and older) will be fined $20-$75 and repeat offenders will be fined $50-$190. Drivers under age 18 may not use any form of hands-free device. In Washington State, a secondary offense will carry a flat fine of $124. Drivers only receive a citation if they are in violation of other laws or appear distracted.

For more information about Funkwerk Americas and its products, visit the company's Web site.