(Getty Images) |
LOS ANGELES -- California First Lady Maria Shriver has disobeyed the rules of the road again.
Shriver parked her Escalade in a red zone for about an hour while visiting a doctor in Santa Monica. Red zones are reserved for emergency vehicles.
Shriver quickly apologized for the incident.
"I regret that I made a mistake. I take responsibility for it," Shriver said in a statement issued through her office.
TMZ posted video of the violation Monday, showing Shriver returning to her SUV while chatting on her cell phone.
See the video
Luckily this time, she hung up the phone before driving away -- apparently a lesson learned after she was caught violating California's cell phone law about two weeks ago.
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said he would "take swift action" after his wife was caught on more than one occasion using a hand-held cell phone while driving.
At a recent press conference announcing a new law requiring safe storage and logging of ammunition sales, a reporter questioned the governor about his wife's cell phone issue.
"That matter has already been put to bed," Schwarzenegger said as the crowd gasped at the reporter deviating from the press conference's topic.
"It's been dealt with," the governor said as he hurried into an elevator afterward.
Maria Shriver apologized for breaking the law that requires drivers to use a hands-free device while talking on a cell phone.
TMZ.com posted pictures taken by SplashNewsOnline.com dated October 11 and July 12 that show Shriver talking on a cell phone while driving an SUV.
Click here to see the pictures
TMZ also posted video of Shriver talking on her cell phone while driving in Brentwood.
Shriver later said she will donate her favorite old cell phone to a program that helps domestic violence shelters. She added: "That's my version of swift action with a higher purpose."
Shriver's statement did not say whether she would use a hands-free device in the future.
Schwarzenegger joked about the incident during a speech October 14 at a technology conference in San Francisco, saying, "I'm in big trouble." He said he can't believe his wife was caught on camera three times "holding that phone in her hand like in the Stone Age."
State law, which took effect in July 2008, bans the use of cellular telephones while driving without the use of a hands-free device. Violators are subject to fines of at least $20 for the first ticket and $50 for subsequent tickets, plus additional fees.
In Los Angeles County, where Brentwood is located, the Superior Court has set the cost at about $93 for the first ticket and $201 for the next one, meaning Shriver would owe at least $300 in fines and court fees had she been caught by police.
Shriver parked her Escalade in a red zone for about an hour while visiting a doctor in Santa Monica. Red zones are reserved for emergency vehicles.
Shriver quickly apologized for the incident.
"I regret that I made a mistake. I take responsibility for it," Shriver said in a statement issued through her office.
TMZ posted video of the violation Monday, showing Shriver returning to her SUV while chatting on her cell phone.
See the video
Luckily this time, she hung up the phone before driving away -- apparently a lesson learned after she was caught violating California's cell phone law about two weeks ago.
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said he would "take swift action" after his wife was caught on more than one occasion using a hand-held cell phone while driving.
At a recent press conference announcing a new law requiring safe storage and logging of ammunition sales, a reporter questioned the governor about his wife's cell phone issue.
"That matter has already been put to bed," Schwarzenegger said as the crowd gasped at the reporter deviating from the press conference's topic.
"It's been dealt with," the governor said as he hurried into an elevator afterward.
Maria Shriver apologized for breaking the law that requires drivers to use a hands-free device while talking on a cell phone.
TMZ.com posted pictures taken by SplashNewsOnline.com dated October 11 and July 12 that show Shriver talking on a cell phone while driving an SUV.
Click here to see the pictures
TMZ also posted video of Shriver talking on her cell phone while driving in Brentwood.
Shriver later said she will donate her favorite old cell phone to a program that helps domestic violence shelters. She added: "That's my version of swift action with a higher purpose."
Shriver's statement did not say whether she would use a hands-free device in the future.
Schwarzenegger joked about the incident during a speech October 14 at a technology conference in San Francisco, saying, "I'm in big trouble." He said he can't believe his wife was caught on camera three times "holding that phone in her hand like in the Stone Age."
State law, which took effect in July 2008, bans the use of cellular telephones while driving without the use of a hands-free device. Violators are subject to fines of at least $20 for the first ticket and $50 for subsequent tickets, plus additional fees.
In Los Angeles County, where Brentwood is located, the Superior Court has set the cost at about $93 for the first ticket and $201 for the next one, meaning Shriver would owe at least $300 in fines and court fees had she been caught by police.
