Bill Banning Handheld Cell Phones While Driving Passes PA House

HARRISBURG, PA — Pennsylvania could become the next state to ban handheld cell phones while driving after the House of Representatives passed legislation on Tuesday aimed at combatting distracted driving.

The bill, SB 37, passed the House in a 124-77 vote. Sponsored by Republican Sen. Rosemary Brown, the legislation previously passed the Senate but must return to the chamber for final approval after the House of Representatives made changes to the bill.

If approved by the Senate, the bill would head to Gov. Josh Shapiro's desk to be signed into law.

"We must take a stronger action against distracted driving," said House Transportation Committee Chairman Ed Neilson, D-Philadelphia, according to a PennLive.com report. "Drivers need to put down the phone and keep their eyes on the road."

The ban on interactive mobile devices would expand on a state law passed in 2012 that prohibits texting while driving. According to the bill's text, an "interactive mobile device" is defined as a device held with at least one hand or a part of the body that is dialed or answered by pressing more than one button.

Motorists could only use their handheld devices while driving to call 911 or first responders, according to the bill. The law would not apply to a device used only for navigation or if the driver has pulled off the road and stopped their vehicle.

Motorists who violate the law would be issued a $50 fine; however, for the first year the law is in place, authorities will only issue a written warning.

If passed, the Keystone State would join 26 others — including every state that borders Pennsylvania — in banning handheld cell phones while driving, according to a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette report.

Some who opposed the bill thought it unfairly targets people who don't have the money to buy cars with hands-free technology, the Post-Gazette reported.

"Does this disproportionately set up people who are low-income and don’t have the resources to afford hands-free?" Rep. Kerry Benninghoff, R-Centre, told the publication before voting for the bill. "Those people are going to get pulled over more often."