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Pennsylvania to ban cell phone use while driving and require police to collect traffic stop data

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HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania will join the majority of states that 
ban motorists from handling a cell phone for almost any purpose while 
driving, as backers of the legislation hope to reduce distracted driving 
accidents and deaths after nearly two decades of pressing the measure.

Gov. Josh Shapiro’s office said Thursday that the Democrat will sign the 
bill, 18 years after he first introduced a similar bill when he served in 
the state House of Representatives. The ban will take effect a year after 
he signs it, which is expected in the coming days.

The bill also includes a provision long-sought by the Pennsylvania 
Legislative Black Caucus as a bulwark against racial profiling. That 
provision requires bigger police departments, as well as the Pennsylvania 
State Police, to collect and publicly report data on traffic stops, 
including a driver’s race.

The bill passed both chambers of the state Legislature this week and will 
bring Pennsylvania into alignment with the law on motorists’ cell phone 
use in every one of its neighboring states. Currently, Pennsylvania’s 
restriction on cell phone use while driving applies only to texting.

Sen. Rosemary Brown, R-Monroe, had pushed for more than a decade to 
toughen Pennsylvania’s restriction on cell phone use while driving. Its 
passage is a “monumental victory” for Pennsylvania that will protect 
drivers, prevent crashes and save lives, Brown said in a statement.

Under the bill, police can ticket a driver who is handling their phone for 
almost any reason. Drivers can still use their phone to make phone calls 
or for other functions, such as listening to music, if they are using it 
hands-free with technology such as a docking station, Bluetooth or 
speakers.

The ban applies to motorists sitting in traffic or stopped at a traffic 
light, but does not include a driver who has parked on the side of the 
road or another place where the vehicle can remain stopped safely.

Other exceptions include for navigational use or alerting emergency 
responders. A first offense is punishable by a $50 fine and offenders who 
cause serious accidents could get more time in prison.

Shapiro called the bill “common sense.”

“I’ve met too many families that have an empty seat at the dinner table 
because of distracted driving. I’ve met too many people with injuries that 
they’re going to live with for the rest of their lives because they were 
hit by a distracted motorist,” Shapiro told WILK-FM radio in Pittston 
during an interview last month.

Crashes where a distracted driver was a contributing factor are down in 
Pennsylvania in the past decade, as crashes overall have declined, 
according to state data.

In some years, it was the second-leading cause of accidents. In 2022, it 
was the third-leading cause. That was behind speed and improper turning, 
but ahead of drinking alcohol, careless passing and tailgating.

Twenty-eight states already ban cell phone use while driving, according 
information from the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Meanwhile, at least 23 states have laws on collecting data on traffic 
stops, the group said.

Rep. Napoleon Nelson, D-Montgomery, the chair of the Pennsylvania 
Legislative Black Caucus, said caucus members were concerned that police 
could abuse a broad new power to pull over motorists and target racial 
minorities.

Collecting traffic stop data is important for accountability, Nelson said.

“I think this will be a significant win for transparency and help to 
continue building trust between community members and those who are sworn 
to serve and protect,” Nelson said in an interview.

Rep. Donna Bullock, D-Philadelphia, who worked for several years to get 
the provision into law, called it a “big step for Pennsylvania.” The 
Pennsylvania State Police recently began voluntarily collecting and 
reporting traffic stop data and some municipal police departments do as 
well, Bullock said.

But the methods of individual departments aren’t uniform, like they will 
be under the new law, Bullock said.

Data released last year by the state police and analyzed by the National 
Policing Institute showed no disparities between racial and ethnic groups 
for warnings, citations or arrests. But troopers were more than twice more 
likely to search Black and Hispanic drivers than white drivers, the report 
showed.

Under the forthcoming law, data that police must report includes the 
reason for the stop, details from a search of the vehicle and the race, 
ethnicity, age and gender of the driver who was stopped. Police forces 
that serve municipalities under 5,000 people are exempt from the 
requirement.

The data collection requirement takes effect in a year and a half. After 
the cell phone ban takes effect, drivers get a grace period of another 
year in which they only receive a written warning for violating it.

https://apnews.com/article/cell-phone-driving-ban-pennsylvania-motorists-
a80fa5a11aee73c0e61058543a43a03a

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Pennsylvania to ban cell phone use while driving and require police to collect traffic stop data creature feature <none@banned.com> - 2024-05-14 23:32 +0200

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