PA House Bill Passed - Cell phone use prohibited in Car - 60 Days

[JaySVX]

No more talking on the cell phones while driving, passed on 9/11/07 takes effect 60 days after.

At first, I thought this ban included hands-free devices such as bluetooth headsets, but now I'm leaning towards it not including hands-free.

PRINTER'S NO. 2428

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA

HOUSE BILL

No. 1827 Session of 2007

INTRODUCED BY SHAPIRO, BRENNAN, BLACKWELL, CALTAGIRONE, CLYMER,

COHEN, DALEY, DeLUCA, FABRIZIO, FREEMAN, GALLOWAY, HARHAI,

HARKINS, HENNESSEY, HORNAMAN, JOSEPHS, KENNEY, KORTZ, KULA,

LEACH, MAHONEY, McILHATTAN, McILVAINE SMITH, MUNDY, MURT,

NAILOR, PASHINSKI, PETRARCA, PETRONE, QUINN, RAMALEY,

READSHAW, REED, SABATINA, SAMUELSON, SIPTROTH, K. SMITH,

STABACK, TANGRETTI, TRUE, WATSON, WOJNAROSKI, YOUNGBLOOD AND

ADOLPH, SEPTEMBER 11, 2007

REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION, SEPTEMBER 11, 2007

AN ACT

1 Amending Title 75 (Vehicles) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated

2 Statutes, prohibiting operators from using handheld mobile

3 telephones.

4 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

5 hereby enacts as follows:

6 Section 1. Title 75 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated

7 Statutes is amended by adding a section to read:

8 § 3316. Prohibiting use of handheld mobile telephones.

9 (a) General rule.--Except as provided in subsection (b), no

10 driver shall operate any moving vehicle on a highway of this

11 Commonwealth, which shall include Federal, State and municipal

12 highways, while using a handheld mobile telephone.

13 (b) Exception.--This section shall not apply to law

14 enforcement officers and operators of emergency vehicles when on

15 duty and acting in their official capacities.



1 (c) Defense.--It shall be a defense to a prosecution brought

2 for a violation of this section that the driver had reason to

3 fear for the driver's safety, was reporting a traffic accident

4 or was making a "911" emergency call.

5 (d) Penalty.--A person who violates this section commits a

6 summary offense and shall, upon conviction, be sentenced to pay

7 a fine of $50.

8 (e) Definitions.--As used in this section, the following

9 words and phrases shall have the meanings given to them in this

10 subsection:

11 "Handheld mobile telephone." A mobile telephone other than a

12 hands-free mobile telephone with which a user engages in a call

13 using at least one hand.

14 "Hands-free mobile telephone." A mobile telephone that has

15 an internal feature or function, or that is equipped with an

16 attachment or addition, whether or not permanently part of such

17 mobile telephone, by which a user engages in a call without the

18 use of either hand, whether or not the use of either hand is

19 necessary to activate, deactivate or initiate a function of such

20 telephone.

21 Section 2. This act shall take effect in 60 days.

[LarryIII]

Hooray...I can't wait.

I'm sick and tired of inching down the Blue Rioute, 5 nights a week, and wondering if the idiot operating (not driving) the SUV in the next lane is going to veer into my lane and hit SVXY, like he almost did; the last 2 times; because he's/she's yapping on the phone.

How's that for a run on sentence, Randy.

[LetItSnow]

The hard part with this is that so many of the people who yap on their cell for miles on end don't believe that their driving awareness diminishes while they've got the phone in their hand, so the compliance to the law is limited. Those who continue to talk "hands-on" will drop the phone into their laps when they see Officer Friendly, anyway. It's really hard to enforce.

We've had this law in NY for some time, and I still suffer from the same cell phone chatties that were mentioned above, who are lost in their choice of lanes and have no idea where there might be another car on the road within miles of theirs.

YOU ARE NOT BATMAN. IT CAN WAIT. GET OFF THE PHONE.

The law is a great idea, and it'll have an effect for a little while, but just like DWI (impaired = impaired) it's mostly after damage has been done that it comes into play at a legal level.

[SUBBYRU89]

Thank goodness! I can't count how many times someone on their cellphone has almost clipped me. Now to catch them doing it, because we all know it takes a second to say "hold on" and place that bugger in your lap as you pass the police. More things that fry me are those chics who can't wake up early enough and have to finish "putting on their face" for work. I had some girl almost rear end me because she was applying mascara and not paying attention to brake lights...hense she got an eyeball full of that crap <evil snicker..good for ya stupid!> and the people in too much of a hurry and not having courtesy for the bikers on the road. I know some bikers could be clowns, but alot of them are not. Share the road I say. When I get a bike people better watch out because if I get hurt by some idiot someones going to pay.

[Manarius]

House passed it - not the senate. It won't be taking effect anytime soon. Living in PA, I would know about it if it had gone to the governor's desk.

[Landshark]