HARRISBURG – Legislation is being introduced which targets distracted driving by prohibiting the use of a cell phone or other communication devices while operating a motor vehicle on a PA roadway. Sen. Rosemary Brown of Lackawanna, Monroe, & Wayne Counties is the sponsor of Senate Bill 37 which still allows drivers to utilize their cell phone, but it must use hands-free technology. The device can not be supported with any part of a driver’s body. She said the legislation is not an effort to punish drivers, but to change driving behavior and allow for public safety. Brown said there are no states ban that fully ban all cell phone use, but at least 23 states have some form of hand-held cell phone usage ban while driving. 48 states, plus Washington, DC, have a ban on texting while driving. However, many of the laws, including PA’s texting law, makes the enforcement of the law practically impossible for crash prevention.
SEN. ROSEMARY BROWN