Texting Legislation Passed in State Senate This Week

As mentioned in the blog post yesterday, legislation officially making texting a primary offense while driving moved on to the State Senate on Tuesday of this week.  Both the Pennsylvania State Senate and the House of Representatives officially passed this piece of legislation, which Governor Corbett also reviewed earlier this fall.  Our blog has been highlighting the progression of this process since June of this summer and are happy to see the piece of legislation progressing into law.  The most recent update on this progression shows that the State Senate officially voted for the texting ban this Tuesday after some revisions were made to the earlier version of the ban.  Governor Corbett still needs to sign the legislation, and the law will take effect 120 days after he signs it.  If caught, texting drivers will face a $50 fine.  Recent surveys show that, although 96% of drivers see texting as a safety threat on the road, 30% still admit to doing it themselves.  Some Pennsylvania legislators are also considering forming a new piece of legislation that would also ban or limit cell phone use while driving.

Attorney Doug Stoehr is a personal injury lawyer serving the western and central Pennsylvania area.  One of his major areas of practice is injury or death due to motor vehicle accidents.  He has noticed a trend of accidents involving cell phone usage, both talking or texting, and urges you not to use your phone while driving and be wary of other drivers on the road who may be using their phones.  For more information on his law firm, please click here.