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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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State
Rep. John Galloway
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Galloway votes to ban texting, cell phone use while driving
HARRISBURG, Jan. 26 – State Rep. John Galloway, D-Bucks, voted today to make roads safer for all Pennsylvanians by banning texting and the use of handheld cell phones while driving.
The House passed H.B. 2070 today by a vote of 189-6. The bill now moves to the state Senate for consideration.
"I supported this bill because it is a public safety issue," said Galloway, who is a co-sponsor of the bill. "Talking on a handheld cell phone or texting while driving are dangerous practices that need to stop. Penalizing drivers who engage in them is the best way to encourage all drivers to pay full attention while behind the wheel."
A March 2009 Quinnipiac Poll found that 85 percent of Pennsylvanians surveyed support banning the use of handheld cell phones while driving. Six states -- California, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, Oregon and Washington -- have banned hand-held cell phones for drivers, and 19 states ban text messaging while driving, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association.
A July 2009 study released by Virginia Tech Transportation Institute concluded the risk of a crash or near crash for truck drivers is 23 times greater when texting, and a University of Utah study of a driving simulator found that the crash risk for college students is eight times greater when texting.
House Bill 2070, sponsored by state Rep. Joseph Markosek, D-Allegheny/Westmoreland, would make it a primary offense for a driver to use any handheld mobile phone, smart phone, personal digital assistant or portable computer while a vehicle is in motion.
Making a handheld mobile phone call or texting while driving would be punishable by a $50 fine.
That fine would be doubled to $100 if the offense was committed in a school zone, active construction zone, highway safety corridor or emergency response area. An exception would be granted for calling 9-1-1 and for emergency responders performing official duties.
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