NATIONAL TEEN DRIVER SAFETY WEEK UNDERWAY
HARRISBURG, OCT. 15 – State Sen. Connie Williams and state Rep. Josh Shapiro helped to kick-off National Teen Driver Safety Week in Pennsylvania with a news conference at the Montgomery County Fraternal Order of Police during which they highlighted a common driver distraction – the use of hand-held cell phones.
Williams opened the news event with a sobering fact: motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for 16- to 20-year-olds.
"Teen drivers are novice drivers. They lack experience, which makes it critical that they fully focus on driving without distractions from other young passengers, cell phones, text messages or other outside diversions," Williams said. "A major distraction today is cell phones. The next time you are on the highway, just glance around you and see how many people have one hand on the steering wheel and the other holding a cell phone. Many of those people are young drivers."
Just 20 years ago, cell phones were a novelty item in vehicles. They were expensive and bulky. Less than 900,000 people in the United States subscribed to wireless services. Today there are 230 million wireless subscribers in the United States. According to a 2007 survey, 73 percent of drivers use phones.
Williams introduced legislation (S.B. 1098) that would ban the use of mobile phones by drivers under age 18, except to report an accident or emergency. Shapiro also offered legislation (H.B. 1827) that would ban the use of hand-held cell phones by all drivers while they are behind the wheel.
The use of hand-held phones while driving is a dangerous driver distraction contributing to 1,241 crashes in 2006 on Pennsylvania roadways according to PennDOT. In contrast, there were just 60 crashes in 2006 on the state’s roadways attributed to hands-free cell phones. A National Highway Transportation Safety Administration study found that cell phones are the No. 1 distraction for drivers, and distracted drivers are three times as likely to be involved in a crash.
“We will save lives on our roadways by simply disconnecting Pennsylvania drivers from their hand-held cell phones,” Shapiro said.
Under Shapiro’s proposal, the use of hand-held cell phones while driving would be prohibited on all public roads in Pennsylvania. Exceptions are provided for law enforcement officers and operators of emergency vehicles when on duty, and there is leeway provided for drivers to use a hand-held cell phone when they fear for their safety, are reporting a traffic accident, or are making a 911 emergency call. A violation would be a summary offense. Upon conviction, a person would be required to pay a $50 fine.
If Pennsylvania were to move forward on either of the bills, it would join a growing number of states who are limiting the use of hand-held phones by drivers.
During the last five years, lawmakers in every state, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia have considered legislation related to cell phone use in cars or distracted driving. Lawmakers in 38 states considered legislation on the topic in 2006 alone. As late as 2000, only three states had laws related to cell phones in cars. Now, 28 have such laws, with more laws likely to pass in 2007.
Several Pennsylvania municipalities have local bans in place: Conshohocken, West Conshohocken, Hilltown Township, Lebanon, Lower Chichester and York.
Catherine Rossi, manager of Public and Government Affairs, AAA-Mid-Atlantic, also spoke about distracted drivers. The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety works to prevent traffic deaths and injuries by conducting research into their causes and by educating the public about ways to prevent crashes and reduce the impact when they do occur.
One area of concern for AAA has been the issue of young drivers.
Although they could not be present at the news conference, Williams offered information from another key player in reducing young driver accidents – The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, which released a report earlier this year: Driving: Through the Eyes of Teens." More than 5,600 students in ninth through 11th grade responded to the survey. Nine out of 10 teens in the survey said it was common to see teens driving while talking on a cell phone, while 48 percent said they talked on a cell phone, at least sometimes, while driving.
"No matter how well a new teen driver has been taught, they can't be prepared for every potential hazard that they may encounter," Williams said. "This is why it is critical for young drivers to drive distraction-free. That being said, it is equally important for all drivers – no matter how old or how much experience behind the wheel – to consider the awesome responsibility they have and to afford the respect and attention that driving commands. This should be true not only during National Teen Driver Safety Week, but every day."