Posted by Mark Koenig on Saturday, January 30, 2010
From The Daily Review:
The state House overwhelmingly passed a bill Tuesday that outlaws not just texting, but hand-held cell phone use by drivers. And it did so for the right reason.
“This isn’t about punishing someone after the fact. This about preventing the accident from occurring,” said Rep. Josh Shapiro, after the 189-6 vote.
Unlike a Senate bill that banned only texting while driving, the House bill would require drivers to use a hands-free device to talk on a phone while driving.
Using a hand-held device would be a primary offense, meaning that police could stop and cite a driver for that offense alone.
Abundant research has shown that cell-phone use is one of the worst distractions for drivers. Use of a hands-free device lessens but does not eliminate the distraction.
The Senate should embrace the House bill and police should enforce the resultant ban in order to enhance public safety.
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Posted by Mark Koenig on Saturday, January 30, 2010
From the Scranton Times Tribune:
The state House overwhelmingly passed a bill Tuesday that outlaws not just texting, but hand-held cell phone use by drivers. And it did so for the right reason.
“This isn’t about punishing someone after the fact. This about preventing the accident from occurring,” said Rep. Josh Shapiro, after the 189-6 vote.
Unlike a Senate bill that banned only texting while driving, the House bill would require drivers to use a hands-free device to talk on a phone while driving.
Using a hand-held device would be a primary offense, meaning that police could stop and cite a driver for that offense alone.
Abundant research has shown that cell-phone use is one of the worst distractions for drivers. Use of a hands-free device lessens but does not eliminate the distraction.
The Senate should embrace the House bill and police should enforce the resultant ban in order to enhance public safety.
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Mark Koenig on Saturday, January 30, 2010
From the Delco Times:
It has taken a couple of years, but the commonwealth of Pennsylvania is close to catching up to Lower Chichester.
It’s about time.
(…)
The state House Tuesday approved a measure that would outlaw the use of a hand-held cell phone while driving. The move would make the common practice of yakking or texting on a hand-held cell phone a primary offense, meaning police could pull over a driver after observing such conduct without another initial motor vehicle violation. Cell phone violators would be hit with a $50 fine.
The move is long past due.
(…)
We concur with Rep. Josh Shapiro, D-Montco, an original sponsor of the bill. “This isn’t about punishing someone after the fact. This is about preventing the accident from occurring.” Shapiro said.
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Posted by Josh Shapiro on Tuesday, January 26, 2010
It’s only Tuesday, but we have already had a great week in Harrisburg. The Judiciary committee unanimously passed my bill to crack down on trademark counterfeiting. We are also one step closer to making our roads safer in Pennsylvania. The House overwhelmingly passed our ban on texting and using hand-held phones while driving. Since I first introduced a bill to ban talking on a hand-held cell phone while driving, I’ve received thousands of phone calls and emails from citizens all across Pennsylvania in support of my efforts. We will save lives and stop accidents from happening by disconnecting distracted drivers from their hand-held devices on Pennsylvania’s roadways.
Stay tuned as I continue to work hard to make Pennsylvania safer.
Posted by Mark Koenig on Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Mark Scolforo from the Associated Press writes:
Police could pull over and fine drivers for texting behind the wheel or using a cell phone without a hands-free device under a bill that passed the state House overwhelmingly Tuesday.
The House voted 189-6 to impose the new rules on moving vehicles, with exceptions for navigational systems or dialing 911.
(…)
The House-passed bill makes violations a “primary offense,” which means officers can stop motorists for violations without needing some other reason to pull them over.
“This isn’t about punishing someone after-the-fact, this is about preventing the accident from occurring,” said Rep. Josh Shapiro, D-Montgomery, an ardent supporter of the bill.
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