Members of the Pennsylvania House and Senate have close to a dozen bills in front of them involving motor vehicles. Many, such as one allowing cars that are historic to have vintage license plates rather than the standard plated required on other vehicles, are apparently on their way to become law. Legislation for others however has yet to be finalized.

Bills addressing distracted driving, a major cause of car accidents in Pennsylvania, are in the latter group. Despite the fact that 34 states in addition to the District of Columbia have passed laws making it illegal to text while driving, and an additional eight states have prohibited drivers from talking on the phone while holding a cell phone, Pennsylvania has not yet passed similar legislation. There are however, a couple of bills regarding distracted driving issues currently in the works.

Far and away the biggest issue currently associated with distracted driving is texting while driving. A bill prohibiting texting while driving is currently being debated. There is a bill regarding the use of cell phones by teen drivers and requiring the use of a hands-free device while talking on a cell phone while driving being considered as well.

The major sticking point for each seems to be the discussion regarding the level of offense that should be tied to each violation. More specifically should each be considered a primary offense that would serve as grounds for a police officer to pull someone over, or a secondary offense that could only result in a citation after being pulled over for another offense first.

We will continue to monitor the situation and will provide updates as they become available.

Source: Philly.com, "Pa. House and Senate still at odds on distracted-driving bills," Amy Worden, Oct. 25, 2011