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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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State Rep. Josh Shapiro |
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Shapiro presses case for hand-held cell phone ban
HARRISBURG, March 11 – Rep. Josh Shapiro, D-Montgomery, outlined his case for the legislature to pass a hand-held cell phone ban at a Capitol news conference today. Shapiro has been advocating for passage of a hand-held cell phone ban while driving since 2006.
Last month, he reintroduced his legislation, H.B. 538, with 70 co-sponsors, to ban this dangerous driver distraction. He said that now is the time to act.
Shapiro, who was joined by a bipartisan group of legislators, introduced Jacy Good, a Lancaster County native and an advocate for the cell phone ban. In May 2008, Jacy’s parents, Jay and Jean Good, were killed in a car accident caused by a driver using a hand-held cell phone on Route 222 in Berks County. The Goods were returning from Jacy’s graduation ceremony at Muhlenberg College. The accident also left Jacy in a temporary coma.
"I am pushing for the cell phone ban because it is the best way to honor my parents’ memory. This bill will help prevent my family’s tragedy from being repeated," Jacy said at today’s news conference.
"Banning the use of hand-held cell phones while driving is not just about the data or statistics," Shapiro stated. "Pennsylvanians, like the Goods, are paying the ultimate price for our failure to act on this critical public safety initiative."
Shapiro cited the hundreds of e-mails and phone calls he has received from citizens all across Pennsylvania in support of his efforts as evidence that public wants the legislature to act. Additionally, Shapiro has secured 70 bipartisan co-sponsors for his legislation, which is more than double the support he received when he first introduced his legislation in 2006.
"Since I first began my efforts to ban the use of hand-held cell phones while driving, we have found study after study stating the dangers of driving while distracted," Shapiro said. "We have received more support from our constituents to end this deadly practice, and we have learned of too many tragedies like the Goods. It is now time for the legislature to act."
Studies from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Virginia Tech, Carnegie Mellon and the University of Utah have all shown that drivers who talk on their cell phones are three to four times more like to be involved in a crash. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, hand-held cell phones contributed to 1,245 crashes on Pennsylvania roadways in 2007. In contrast, there were 56 crashes on the state’s roadways attributed to hands-free cell phones during the same year.
A study by the Public Policy Institute of California found that states that enacted hand-held cell phone bans while driving saw traffic fatalities decrease between 9 percent and 21 percent after the ban went into effect. With 1,491 traffic fatalities in Pennsylvania in 2007, a ban on hand-held cell phones could save up to 313 lives on the Commonwealth’s roadways. California, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Utah and Washington, and the District of Columbia have already enacted bans.
House Bill 538 would ban the use of hand-held cell phones while driving on all public roads in Pennsylvania. Exceptions would be provided for law enforcement officers, drivers of mass transit vehicles, operators of emergency vehicles when on duty, or motorists who are reporting a traffic accident or are making a 511 or 911 emergency call. A violation would be a summary offense and, upon conviction, a person would be required to pay a $50 fine. There would be no points assessed to a driver who violates this law.
Shapiro is a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and represents the 153rd Legislative District in Montgomery County. For more information about Shapiro, please visit www.pahouse.com/Shapiro.