New PA Law to Ban Texting While Driving Passed

A Pennsylvania law to ban texting while driving statewide has been passed and will soon go into effect.
A new law to ban texting while driving throughout the state of Pennsylvania has been signed into law by Governor Tom Corbett. The PA governor has been an outspoken critic of texting while driving, and stated during a bill-signing event, “No text message is worth a human life. The message of this legislation is to drive now and text later.”

The new law, Senate Bill 314, bans reading, writing or sending a text message while driving. The law also makes texting while driving a primary offense in PA, meaning that the police may pull over a motorist observed texting while driving. The bill sets a fine of $50.00 to be imposed as the penalty for texting while driving.

Pennsylvania will join 34 states, plus the District of Columbia, in banning texting while driving. The new texting law takes effect 120 days after the governor’s signature, in March 2012.

Just a few weeks ago, the PA governor signed into law tougher new regulations for teenage drivers, including increased training requirements and limitations on the number of teen passengers in the car.