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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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State
Rep. Eugene DePasquale |
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DePasquale calls on state House to ban texting while driving
HARRISBURG, Jan. 25 – State Rep. Eugene DePasquale, D-York, is calling on the state House to pass legislation that would ban texting while driving in Pennsylvania.
The proposed bill, H.B. 2070, is slated for a vote this week.
"I've been working hard to address this important safety legislation for three years," DePasquale said. "This bill is a bipartisan effort, and I strongly urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this measure for the safety of all Pennsylvanians."
DePasquale said H.B. 2070 would make texting while driving a primary offense in Pennsylvania. The bill would make violations punishable with a $50 fine. Fines would be doubled to $100 if the offense happens in a school zone, active work zone, highway safety corridor or emergency response area.
DePasquale said he also supports an amendment, introduced by Rep. Josh Shapiro, D-Montgomery, that would ban the use of all hand-held cell phones while driving.
"The recent tragedies in York have highlighted the need for this ban," DePasquale said. "It's critical to improve safety on our roads and save lives."
A University of Utah study of a driving simulator found that college students faced an eight times greater crash risk when texting, and according to a July 2009 study released by Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, truck drivers face a 23 times greater risk of a crash or near crash when texting.
Locally, a Quinnipiac University poll released in March found that 89 percent of Pennsylvania voters support a proposal to outlaw text-messaging while driving. Nearly the same percentage, 87 percent, said the ban would make Pennsylvania roads and highways safer.
DePasquale noted additional sources:
· Nationally, the U.S. Department of Transportation reports that 5,870 people – 16 percent of all highway fatalities in 2008 – died in distracted-driving crashes; 515,000 were injured.
· 80 percent of all automobile accidents result from distracted driving (Source: Virginia Tech 100-car study for NHTSA).
· Drivers who are reportedly distracted at the time of fatal crashes has reached 11 percent, up from 8 percent in 2004 (Source: NHTSA).
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