Pennsylvania bans the use of cell phones while driving and requires police to collect data on traffic stops

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania will join the majority of states that ban drivers from using cell phones for almost all purposes while driving, as proponents of the legislation hope to reduce the number of accidents and deaths caused by distracted driving, after They have been pushing for this for almost two decades.

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

The bill also includes a provision that the Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus has long sought as a bulwark against racial profiling. This provision requires major police departments, as well as the Pennsylvania State Police, to collect and publicly report data on traffic stops, including a hit-and-run.

The bill passed both chambers of the state Legislature this week and brings Pennsylvania into compliance with cell phone use laws by drivers in all of its neighboring states. Currently, Pennsylvania’s restriction on cell phone use while driving only applies to texting.

Sen. Rosemary Brown, R-Monroe, had pushed for more than a decade to tighten Pennsylvania’s restrictions on cellphone use while driving. Its passage is a “monumental victory” for Pennsylvania that will protect motorists, prevent accidents and save lives, Brown said in a statement.

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

The ban applies to motorists stuck in traffic or at a traffic light, but does not apply to drivers who have parked on the side of the road or in another place where the vehicle can safely remain stationary.

Further exceptions apply for navigation purposes or to alert emergency responders. A first offense is punishable by a $50 fine, and offenders who cause serious accidents could face a longer prison sentence.

Shapiro called the bill “common sense.”

“I have met too many families where distractions while driving left a seat empty at the dinner table. I have met too many people with injuries that they will have to live with for the rest of their lives because they were hit by a distracted driver,” Shapiro said in an interview with WILK-FM Radio in Pittston last month.

In Pennsylvania, the number of crashes involving a distracted driver has declined over the past decade as the number of crashes overall has declined, according to state data.

In some years it was the second most common cause of accidents. In 2022, it was the third most common cause. That was due to speed and wrong turns, but it was due to alcohol consumption, careless overtaking and tailgating.

According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 28 states already ban cell phone use while driving.

At least 23 states now have laws in place to collect data on traffic stops, the group said.

Rep. Napoleon Nelson, D-Montgomery, chairman of the Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus, said caucus members are concerned that police could abuse sweeping new powers to ambush motorists and target racial minorities.

Collecting data on traffic stops is important for accountability, Nelson said.

“I think this will be a significant win for transparency and will help continue to build 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 enact the provision, called it a “big step for Pennsylvania.” The Pennsylvania State Police recently began voluntarily collecting and reporting data on traffic stops, and some city police departments are doing the same, Bullock said.

But each department’s methods are not consistent, as they will be under the new law, Bullock said.

Data released last year by state police and analyzed by the National Policing Institute showed no disparities between racial and ethnic groups in warnings, citations or arrests. However, police officers searched black and Hispanic drivers more than twice as often as white drivers, according to the report.

Under the upcoming 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 communities with fewer than 5,000 inhabitants are exempt from this obligation.

The data collection obligation will come into force in one and a half years. After the cell phone ban comes into effect, drivers will be given a grace period of another year, during which they will only receive a written warning for violations.

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Follow Marc Levy at twitter.com/timelywriter.