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For Immediate Release
July 9, 2009
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Senate Approves Tomlinson Bill
to Ban Texting While Driving
Harrisburg – Pennsylvania
motorists would be prohibited from texting while driving under legislation
sponsored by Senator Tommy Tomlinson (R-Bucks). Senate Bill 143 was approved by
the State Senate today.
Tomlinson's bill is intended to address an increasingly common and dangerous
practice that has resulted in accidents and fatalities across the nation.
"Drivers should be doing only one thing when they are behind the wheel of an
automobile, and that is paying attention to the road and other drivers,"
Tomlinson said. "Text-distraction doesn't just jeopardize the lives of those
texting, but also puts the lives of everyone on the road with them at risk."
Senate Bill 143 would make texting
while driving a secondary offense if a motorist has been cited for another
violation and would carry a fine of $100.
Pennsylvania would join 10 other
states that have prohibited texting while driving for all classes of drivers.
Eight more states prohibit texting by novice drivers or certain specialized
driving classifications.
An estimated 20 percent of drivers are sending
or receiving text messages while behind the wheel, according to a Nationwide
Insurance study. Another poll found that the number skyrockets to 66 percent
when drivers age 18 to 24 are involved. The practice, especially popular among
young people, has resulted in deadly accidents.
"Texting while driving is
distracting, dangerous, unnecessary and potentially deadly," Tomlinson said. "You
can't argue with the fact that texting is a major driver distraction and it will
lead to more accidents. For the sake of lives and public safety, we need to ban
this practice."
A recent study by the National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration revealed that 80 percent of crashes and 65
percent of near-crashes involve some form of driver distraction occurring within
three seconds before the vehicle crash. In one well-publicized case in New
York, five teenagers died after their vehicle ran head-on into a tractor
trailer. The driver was text messaging moments before the accident.
Senate Bill 143 now goes to the House for
consideration.
Contact:
Megan Crompton
(717) 787-5072 |
