Posted by Mark Koenig on Friday, August 20, 2010
Keith Goble of Land Line Magazine writes:
A bill in the Pennsylvania House would allow local police to use radar to nab speeders.
Pennsylvania is the only state in the country that prohibits municipal police from enforcing speed limits with radar. Since 1961, only state troopers have been allowed to use radar.
Rep. Josh Shapiro, D-Montgomery, is the sponsor of a bill that would change the state’s distinction. The bill – HB2513 – would permit local, full-time police officers who work for “full-service accredited police departments” to use radar.
Currently, local police are limited to electronic tools such as VASCAR, which determines a vehicle’s speed by measuring the time it takes to move between two points.
If signed into law, local governments would have the option of adopting an ordinance to approve local radar use.
“Radar is considered by many to be one of the most effective and accurate speed-control devices available; however, local police departments have not been permitted to use the full array of traffic enforcement tools available,” Shapiro said in a statement. “This legislation would rectify this situation.”
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Posted by Mark Koenig on Sunday, August 15, 2010
From The Delaware County Times:
Just a reminder in case you didn’t know: Our neighbor state to the south, Delaware, has a law banning hand-held cell phone use and texting while driving that becomes effective Jan. 2, 2011.
Gov. Jack Markell signed the legislation last month, making Delaware the ninth state to ban the use of hand-held cell phones behind the wheel and the 30th state to ban texting while driving.
(…)
The honchos in Harrisburg, despite efforts by state Rep. Josh Shapiro, D-Montgomery, have failed to enact similar laws in the usual bipartisan tug-of-war with the Republican dominated Senate.
In July, House members by a bipartisan vote of 126-71 rejected the Senate’s version of House Bill 67 imposing stricter rules for teen drivers, citing its amendments weakened the bill regarding cell phone and texting bans, passenger restrictions and driver training hours.
The House version passed overwhelmingly in April 2009 would have made it a primary offense for a teen with a learner’s permit or junior driver’s license to text or talk on a cell phone while driving. However, the next month, the Senate amended the bill to make such conduct a secondary offense, meaning officers could only issue citations if a teen was already stopped for another traffic violation or an accident.
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Posted by Mark Koenig on Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Matthew Santoni of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review writes:
Officials hope that by providing more detailed driving histories through PennDOT, employers can keep dangerous drivers from getting behind the wheel for work.
The state will now report whether an accident on a driver’s record involved a fatality, at least one injury or damage to property, said PennDOT spokeswoman Danielle Klinger. But because police, not PennDOT, determine fault, it will be up to employers to ask employees or job candidates about citations and violations.
“Even with listing the crash severity, the onus is still on the employer or potential employer to ask questions and follow up,” Klinger said.
Currently, driving records show whether a motorist was involved in a crash, along with any past suspensions or citations.
State Rep. Josh Shapiro, D-Montgomery County, requested PennDOT make the changes to its reporting system after a fatal accident Feb. 17 involving a Collegeville-area school bus driver, who had obtained a commercial driver’s license and been hired despite a fatal accident on his record from 1999.
Shapiro touted the new policy’s importance to school districts hiring bus drivers, but Klinger said the information would show up on all drivers’ histories.
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Posted by Mark Koenig on Thursday, July 15, 2010
Kaitlyn Foti of Montgomery News writes:
Abington Township is once again beaming with pride after being named by Money Magazine as one of the top 100 Best Places to Live.
This year, the township was listed as Number 29 on the magazine’s selective list.
“I’m so proud to live in and represent Abington. It truly is an extraordinary place to live and work,” said state Rep. Josh Shapiro, D-153, in a press release congratulating Abington on the news.
“This recognition is largely due to the commitment of so many in our schools, local government, community organizations and religious institutions to strive for better each and every day.”
The magazine calls Abington “a family-oriented suburb with a Philadelphia attitude” and lists the Keswick Theatre and Willow Grove Park mall among its assets.
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Posted by Josh Shapiro on Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Dear Friend:
Last week, I spoke on the House floor in favor of a strong distracted driving bill.
On two occasions in recent months, the House passed legislation to ban texting and talking on hand-held cell phones while driving for adults and all cell phone use for teens, and would make these a primary offense — meaning the police could pull over a driver violating these provisions before an accident occurs. Additionally, these bills contain important teen safety measures like increased driver’s education requirements, limiting the number of passengers a new teen driver can transport, and requiring seatbelts to be worn by all passengers.
The Senate amended our bills and returned to the House a watered-down, weak bill that among other things, eliminates the teen driver provisions, contains no ban on adult texting while driving and makes enforcement a secondary offense for teens, which means that a violator could only be fined after an accident has already occurred.
The Senate version of the bill is nothing more than window-dressing that won’t stop a single accident or save a single life.
On the House floor, I asked my colleagues to reject the Senate version in order to set up a bipartisan, joint House-Senate conference committee where we could reach some consensus to strengthen the distracted driving legislation. By a solid bipartisan vote, the House rejected the Senate version, setting the stage for a compromise bill to be passed in the fall.
I need your help to ensure we ultimately end up with a strong bill. The public has done a great job of driving this issue. From Oprah to constituents across the state, thousands have weighed in to support a strong distracted driver law in Pennsylvania that will save lives. So please take a moment to sign our online petition expressing your support for our efforts.
As always, I welcome your feedback.
All the best,
Rep. Josh Shapiro
