TimesLeader.com

September 24, 2008

Bill to update teen driving limits

Proposal to stop some teens from texting, using cells

By Andrew M. Seder aseder@timesleader.com
Times Leader Staff Writer

In a case of lawmakers trying to catch up with technology, a bill in Harrisburg would prohibit 16- and 17-year-old drivers in the state from using Blackberries, handheld cell phones or text messaging devices while behind the wheel.

One local co-sponsor said the bottom line is increasing public safety.

The bill made its way out of the Transportation Committee last week and moved closer to a floor vote. However, with the session ending in November, it may be too late to come up for a floor vote this year. If approved the new law would restrict the rights of teens holding learner’s permits or junior licenses.

In addition to the parts of the law restricting drivers’ use of wireless communication devices, there are provisions that attempt to better prepare teen drivers before they take the wheel. One section forces them to complete an additional 15 hours of training before they could receive a junior license.

Currently 50 hours of training are mandated, but the bill would raise that to 65 with at least 10 of those hours involving driving at night and five hours of driving in inclement weather.

The bill would also prohibit junior drivers from operating a vehicle with more than one passenger younger than 18 years of age.

The bill, according to state Rep. Eddie Day Pashinski, D-Wilkes-Barre, aims to reduce distractions for young drivers, including chatting with friends who are in the car and those that aren’t.

Pashinski, who co-sponsored the legislation, said young people have grown up in a technological age and have become too accustomed to being able to communicate with their friends regardless of where they are.

“It has become a phenomenon with the young people to be constantly texting,” Pashinski said.

Teenagers aren’t the only offenders, Pashinski said, which is why he’s co-sponsored another bill aimed at reducing distractions for all motorists. House Bill 1827, which never made it out of the House Transportation Committee, would have made Pennsylvania the 18th state to ban handheld cell phone use while driving.

The proposed law has some provisions including:

• With parental permission, a junior driver could have more than one passenger younger than 18 if they are siblings or relatives.

• Allowing teen drivers to use cell phones to call 911 to report accidents or other emergencies.

Catherine Rossi, AAA-Mid-Atlantic’s public affairs manager, said, “Withholding driving privileges is neither a punishment nor an indictment of today’s teens.”

The roads are more dangerous, Rossi said, with faster cars and more aggressive drivers.

She said AAA has been urging Harrisburg officials to take action and supports passage of the bill.

State Rep. Joseph Markosek, D-Monroeville, chairman of the Transportation Committee, said it is “essential to establish safe driving practices early on before bad habits settle in. And most importantly, it would help prevent vehicle crashes, the leading cause of death for young people.”

According to AAA, motor vehicle crashes are leading cause of accidental teenage deaths, with more than 5,000 deaths annually. Rossi said statistics show one in five teenagers will be involved in a crash in the first year of driving. By age 18, four in 10 will have been involved in a crash.

Penalties

Banned in other states

The penalty for violating the law on cell phone use or texting would be a $100 fine.

Cell-phone use by teens while driving is banned in 17 states. California’s ban begins Jan. 1 and bans are in place in: Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia and Washington, D.C.

Andrew M. Seder, a Times Leader staff writer, may be reached at 570-829-7269.