Apparently, there’s been a wave of buying activity for hands-free headsets in California to ensure that we can continue talking while driving but without facing the wrath of the California Highway Patrol.

Recently, I wrote about the Aliph Jawbone, but I realized that not everybody has a Bluetooth-enabled cell phone. An article in the Sacramento Bee listed a favorite, inexpensive headset for people who need it to be wired, as recommended by Elliot Darvick, the editor of MyRide.com. He likes the Jabra C250.

This one sells for under $15 from a number of vendors and sits behind the ear. It includes a microphone boom to optimize voice pick-up.

Reviewer bluepigs26 from CA reports that the headset is designed in such a way that it “doesn’t fall out easily at all, which is a problem I had with some other hands-free headsets.” That said, after a couple of hours, bluepigs’ ear begin to feel a bit uncomfortable.

A slew of reviewers love the sound quality, both for listening and speaking. kkelli2u does report having a bit of a problem with the cord hanging up on doorknobs and drawer pulls, but that’s because kk is using it primarily in an office environment. (That said, watch that stick shift when you get out of your car!) Also, kihiu says that there’s no mute or volume control on the unit, but considers this  a “great headset for a reasonable price.” Several people report buying replacements for it when it wore out and was lost, because they loved it so much.

So there you have it. A great, cheap headset that won’t put you on the side of the road when your kid calls from the nurse’s office or your spouse needs you to pick up a carton of something on the way home from work.