Crime & Safety
Statewide Ban on Texting and Driving Goes Into Effect Thursday
Pennsylvania is the 35th in the country to ban handheld cell phone use.
Back in November, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett approved a bill to outlaw text messaging while behind the wheel of a car. On March 8, exactly 120 days later, Senate Bill 314 will go into effect, making the Keystone State the 35th in the country to ban handheld cell phone use.
Though the ban was already enacted in cities like Philadelphia, Harrisburg, Wilkes-Barre and Erie, texting while driving will now be illegal throughout the entire state, giving officers the freedom to stop and cite drivers for texting alone, resulting in a $50 fine.
Text messaging while driving is also prohibited in the District of Columbia, as well as in Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
