HARRISBURG – State Sen. John N. Wozniak has announced he will introduce new legislation, based on an amendment he passed through the Senate last session, intended to make texting while driving a secondary offense.
“We should use the model of seat-belt use as a way to promote safe driving,” Wozniak said. “Seat-belts are now worn by the vast majority of drivers because of education and incentives, not fines and penalties.”
Last session, the Senate passed Wozniak’s amendment to House Bill 67, which would have made texting while driving a primary offense and therefore enough cause for a traffic stop and citation. Wozniak’s amendment reduced texting to a secondary offense, but the House did not concur and the bill died when the session ended.
“Traffic stops, fines, and penalties would simply push this behavior below the dashboard and it could make the problem worse,” Wozniak said. “An overall program of showing drivers the danger of all sorts of distracted driving, from eating to applying makeup, would be more effective.”
Officers would be able to cite drivers who are texting only if they are pulled over for a separate violation. Drivers could receive a fine of $100 for texting while driving. Wozniak’s bill would also instruct the Department of Transportation to compile and make public information submitted on accident reports regarding the use of interactive wireless devices.