State lawmakers consider texting-while-driving ban

State Senator Robert Tomlison's landmark proposal to ban text messaging while driving in Pennsylvania was approved by the State Senate in July.

Now, AAA campaigned to get Senate Bill 143 passed in Pennsylvania, and all 50 states by the year 2013.

The bill would make it illegal to send, read or write a text message while operating a moving vehicle.

This ban would make texting while driving a secondary offense, if a motorist has been cited for another violation and would carry a fine of $100.

Texting while driving has been proven to be a very dangerous practice that has resulted in accidents and fatalities across the nation.

According to a Nationwide Insurance study, an estimated 20 percent of drivers are sending or receiving text messages while behind the wheel.

Another poll found that the number jumps to a catastrophic 66 percent when drivers age 18 to 24 are involved.

Another 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.

The AAA Foundation even went as far as to encourage drivers to participate in Heads-Up Driving Week, which happened at the beginning of October.

Brian Newbacher, AAA director of public affairs, said the campaign targeted all motorists, but more so 18-24 year olds, who tend to exchange texts while driving more than any other age group.

Senate Bill 143 passed the Senate on July 9 by a vote of 44-3.

According to Megan Crompton, the legislative director to Senator Robert Tomlinson, the bill was then referred to the House Transportation Committee where it currently awaits consideration.

"It will be up to the chairman of the House transportation committee to schedule the bill for consideration by that committee before it goes for a vote of the full House," said Crompton.

If the bill passes, Pennsylvania would join 10 other states that have prohibited texting while driving for all classes of drivers, she said.

Eight more states prohibit texting by novice drivers or certain specialized driving classifications, including nearby New York state.