HARRISBURG PA – Driving while using a cell phone or other hand-held device could be prohibited in Pennsylvania, possibly sometime later this year, The Pennsylvania Independent online news service reported Thursday. It said House Appropriations Minority Chairman Rep. Joseph Markosek and Allegheny County Democrat, plans to introduce a proposed ban in the fall.
The new prohibition would be introduced to help police enforce and existing ban on texting while driving, Barry Ciccocioppo, Markosek’s communications director, said. The bill has not yet been circulated for co-sponsorship, but does have support within the Democratic caucus, Ciccocioppo added.
Drivers caught using phones would be fined $50, or $100 if driving in a school zone, work zone or highway safety corridor, said Ciccocioppo, according to current draft legislation. Exceptions to the ban would include drivers using a GPS device.
- Read a story by reporter Melissa Daniels, titled “Lawmakers to consider phone ban for drivers” and published Thursday by The Independent, here.
I’ve been using communications equipment in vehicles since I learned to drive. For years I carried a CB in my car and truck and often used it while driving. Then I got a cell phone with powerpack and used it in my vehicle. I hve alwys used this equipment carefully.
Cell phone texting is another matter entirely. First the phone must be viewed closely. Then in order to text tiny buttons must be pushed. All those actions are distracting to a driver and make the driver prone to accidents.
My current vehicle allows me to use a built in microphone and the car speakers for a telephone call. This can be safely done while driving.
I think texting should be banned while driving a vehicle, period.
I do not think the use of cell phones, CB, or VHF radios should be banned. I also think police officers should not be banned from using radios while driving vehicles. Whatever comes out of this it had better be reasonable and enforceable.
Perhaps cells need to add circuitry that would determine if the phone was in vehicle speed motion and not allow the text function to work….
This is problematic on so many fronts.
First, this is not the way to “help police enforce an existing ban on texting.” If that bill’s authors couldn’t foresee an enforcement problem, that’s their fault. Banning the devices entirely is dumb.
Second, GPS devices won’t be banned. But every smartphone is a GPS device. If I am using my phone for talking, texting, or getting directions, it doesn’t matter – it’s a safety issue.
Third, every GPS device I have owned has a splash screen that says not to program destinations while the car is in motion. Now all of a sudden it’s ok? Certainly typing an address into a GPS is more akin to texting than talking.
The problem with EJ’s proposal for technology to determine if the cell phone is in motion doesn’t account for the fact that it is perfectly legal to text while a passenger in a car, bus, or train.
It is really difficult to legislate against stupidity. Texting while driving is stupid. Maybe instead of a fine, a mandatory 30-day jail term would be a better deterrent.