Cellular Phones to Be Given to Drivers

Members of the Ventura County Transportation Commission will hand out cellular telephones Sunday, starting a program that will make it easier for drivers with disabilities to summon help during a highway emergency.

The commissioners will hand out several phones to people who have already qualified to receive them at a 9:30 a.m. ceremony, which will take place during the Easter Seal Society’s Memorial 10-K run at San Buenaventura State Beach in Ventura. Other phones will be distributed from the commission’s office beginning Monday.

The program was set up to help people who cannot easily use the county’s highway call boxes because of physical disabilities, including heart and lung ailments. Eligible residents will receive a free cellular phone that can be used only to dial 911 for help.

The commission has received more than 100 applications, and more than 70 people have qualified for the phones, said Lynette Sikes, a commission staff member. She said recipients must be Ventura County residents with a valid California driver’s license and vehicle registration.

The transportation commission is paying the $275 cost for each telephone, plus a $15 programming fee. The cellular phone distribution program is the first of its kind in the state, Sikes said.