Driving while using a cell phone has been shown to cause accidents. One Pennsylvania legislator wants to ban their use

Pennsylvania is to trying again to stop motorists from talking on hand-held cell phones while they're driving.

Currently, six states, including New Jersey, California, Connecticut and New York, have already passed such a la. However, Pennsylvania legislators are apparently hesitant, fearing that constituents may resent further over-regulation from Harrisburg.

Rep. Josh Shapiro, D-Montgomery, is going ahead anyway. In January 2009 he announced he's looking for co-sponsors for an upcoming bill "banning the use of hand-held cell phones while driving," but still permitting the use of hands-free phones.

It's a safety measure, according to Shapiro and his supporters, calling hand-held cell phones "a dangerous driver distraction." A Pennsylvania state police report showed that in 2007, hand-held cell phones contributed to 1,245 vehicle accidents in Pennsylvania. There were only 56 crashes on state roadways involving hands-free cell phones in 2007.

In addition, a National Transportation Safety Administration study showing that cell phones are the No. 1 distraction for drivers, and distracted drivers are three times as likely to be involved in a crash.

A similar bill in 2007 was attempted without success. The bill got 44 co-sponsors in the House but the bill went nowhere.

Actually, this bill doesn't go as far as the national Governors Highway Safety Association advocates would like; they want a total ban on drivers using cell phones. According to Association Chairman Vernon Betkey Jr. "Using ANY type of cell phone is distracting to drivers. Numerous studies have concluded that hands-free phone use does not mitigate crash risk."

A Carnegie Mellon University study last year showed that listening to a cell phone while driving can reduce by 37 percent the amount of brain activity associated with driving, which can "cause drivers to weave out of their lane.

But some legislators think such a law would go too far. "Distracted driving is an issue," admitted Pennsylvania Libertarian Party Chairman Mike Robertson of Clarion County, "but that doesn't mean there needs to be a law regulating every possible distraction."

Under Mr. Shapiro's bill, there would be exceptions for hand-held cell phone use by law enforcement officers, drivers of mass transit vehicles and operators of emergency vehicles while they are on duty. Drivers could also use their cell phones to report a traffic accident or make a 911 call. Violating the cell phone ban would mean a $50 fine but no points assessed to the driver.

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