Mobile Phone Use While Driving in PA

(Just to be clear, I am not a lawyer, police officer or legislator.  All of the information that is in the post was found on the internet.  Use it at your own risk.)

Customers ask us all of the time whether or not mobile phone use while driving is legal.  Since I was a little confused on this issue, I figured it would make for a good post.  I went to the net and found a lot of, what appears to be, good information.

First of all, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, restricting mobile phone use while driving is done at the local level.    Basically, the state of PA authorizes the local municipalities to enact their own rules governing mobile phone us in a vehicle.

The next thing that I found was a lot of information about a hoax back in September 2007.  Apparently someone leaked false information to the internet.    Truth is, there is a House Bill 1827 that, if passed, would make mobile phone use while driving illegal statewide.

While House Bill 1827 has yet to pass, there is a lot of support for it.  Local readers of this post may remember the tragic story from last spring about Jacy Good.  She was seriously injured and both her parent were killed just hours after her graduation from Muhlenberg College.  The were struck by a driver who was using a cell phone.

Jacy is a lead supporter of House Bill 1827. She, along with representative Josh Shapiro are spearheading an initiative to push the bill through state legislature.  Quoting PennLive.com:

“A group led by state Rep. Josh Shapiro, D-Montgomery, said substantial evidence, along with increased support from lawmakers of both parties, makes passage likely, possibly this spring.”

At a recent rally at the State Capitol, Jacy said “My friends in New York and New Jersey don’t understand why Pennsylvania is having so much trouble passing this law,” she said. “I have to get this law passed. I have to know that my parents died for a reason.”

New York and New Jersey both have tough mobile phone use laws on the books.  New Jersey Law goes a step further by also making texting and driving illegal.

I read many other posts and articles about his and indications are strong that this bill may, indeed pass as early as this spring.

I would like to hear comments from any readers on their thoughts of mobile phone use while driving.