It’s not a good idea anyway, and it’s actually dangerous. Soon, it may even be illegal. Pennsylvania lawmakers are once again considering a new law that would take the cellphones out of drivers’ hands. The proposed legislation would ban the use of handheld devices by drivers and make violations a “primary offense” — meaning police could make a traffic stop based on seeing the violation. Sponsors of the bill say it is not aimed at penalizing drivers, but rather to protect innocent people… similar to the state’s driving under the influence laws. According to PennDOT, there were 13,776 distracted driving crashes in 2019, with 62 fatalities, but police say those numbers may actually be significantly underreported. Under the new law, drivers would be fined $100 for holding or supporting… like propping a phone between the shoulder and ear… any cellphone or similar device.
Every state that borders Pennsylvania already has approved a handheld device ban for drivers.
