PA Texting and Driving Ban in Effect This Week

Starting tomorrow, March 8, Pennsylvania State law enforcement officers can pull drivers over for texting on their mobile phones.

As reported in a previous , the new law, which was first considered in November of last year, will make it a primary offence to participate in text-base communication while operating a motor vehicle.

In this new law, according to an ABC report, law enforcement officials can give a $50 citation for the text-based communication traffic offense, which includes sending or reading e-mails. And, while surfing the Internet is forbidden, the law does allow the use of smartphones as GPS devices.

“I think that the texting ban is a good start to addressing distractions while driving,” Upper Moreland Police chief Thomas Nestel, said in an e-mail. “Operating a car is a complex activity, and the police see examples every day of people who are doing things other than paying attention to safely driving their 2,000 pounds of metal.”

Nestel said that the law will be successful, because citizens agree with their legislators, as well as not run the risk of getting a ticket.

“The Upper Moreland Police Department will handle this offense like they handle any traffic offense,” Nestel said.

Nestel said that UMPD officers will use their discretion in deciding when to issue a citation and when to issue a warning.

According to the ABC report, it may be difficult to prove that a driver was texting behind the wheel, however, police may be looking for tell-tale signs of texting, which may include swerving through lanes and unexpectedly slowing down.

“Little doubt exists as to what a person is doing when they are using a phone to text,” Nestel said. “The concern that police officers will have difficulty in determining if a person is texting can easily be countered by asking people how many drivers they see texting each day.”