Pennsylvania’s text ban has been in effect for nearly a week now, and plenty has been said and written to keep the conversation going. Schools, businesses, families… everyone seems to be bringing the topic of texting and driving to the surface, enabling closet mobile texters to admit their behavior and strategize with others on how to avoid temptation. At Agnes Irwin’s weekly Senior Assembly last Thursday, the actual day the ban went into effect, the advice was: Put your cell phone in your trunk. It was good counsel, but hard to imagine anyone following through. It will be a good conversation starter for our very own Joel Feldman, who will be speaking at Agnes Irwin (and other area schools) in April.
We all know, of course, that texting is just one way drivers are distracted. Eating, drinking, changing stations or volume on the radio, digging for that auxiliary cable for your iPod… In an age where we are “doing it all” and pretty much simultaneously, it’s become second nature to believe our focus is infallible. However, EndDD.org’s supporters know this is not true.
Which of course, is a line of conversation we encourage others to engage in every chance we get.
One of those opportunities came during March 7th’s press conference at St. Joe’s University where Joel participated as a guest speaker on behalf of EndDD.org along with PennDot’s other Safety Partners, the Philadelphia Police, the Pennsylvania State Police and Street Smarts.
The press conference served to increase awareness of the state’s new law prohibiting texting while driving in advance of it being made law. Anyone paying attention last week would have had a difficult time ignoring the necessity of this law or the startling statistic that in 2010, there were 14,000 crashes in Pennsylvania where distracted driving played a role, with 68 people dying in those crashes.
During the press conference, participants discussed the new law and enforcement efforts, and also highlighted the dangers of texting and driving. The public was invited to participate in an interactive demonstration highlighting the dangers of texting and driving, and to sign pledges to drive phone-free.
To recap, the new law specifically does the following:
• Makes it a primary offense to use an Interactive Wireless Communication Device (IWCD) to send, read or write a text-based message.
• Defines an IWCD as a wireless phone, personal digital assistant, smartphone, portable or mobile computer or similar devices that can be used for texting, instant messaging, emailing or browsing the Internet.
• Defines a text-based message as a text message, instant message, email or other written communication composed or received on an IWCD.
• Institutes a $50 fine for convictions.
• Makes clear that this law supersedes and preempts any local ordinances restricting the use of interactive wireless devices by drivers.
To learn more, visit www.dot.state.pa.us and choose “Anti-Texting Law.”
