Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro Will Ban Cell Phone Use While Driving Under New Law

Distracted drivers of Pennsylvania! Hands on the wheel and eyes on the road!

If you use your cellphone while driving in Pennsylvania, prepare to face the consequences of the law. Pretty soon, it'll be totally illegal under a new bill which is about to be signed into law.

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Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro has announced that he will a sign a new bill into law that strictly bans the use of cellphones while driving for almost any reason. This is a sweeping attempt to reduce the amount of distracted driving accidents and deaths on Pennsylvania roads.

Currently, Pennsylvania has a law against texting, emailing, and browsing while driving. The new law will be more broad, prohibiting the act of holding your cellphone while driving in almost any scenario.

When will the cellphone ban go into effect in Pennsylvania?

Once Gov. Shapiro signs the bill into law, which is expected to happen very soon, it'll go into effect one year after the bill is signed. 

You may be wondering what took so long. Pennsylvania is relatively late to the game with the signing of this bill, which will make it the 27th state to ban hand-held cell phone usage while driving.

It's similar to a bill the governor pushed for 18 years ago while he served in the state House Representatives, so it's been a long time coming.

Distracted driving remains one of the leading causes of crashes in Pennsylvania, needlessly injuring about 4,000 people per year and killing an average of 400 people per year, according to PennDOT data. 

Under the soon-to-be law, drivers who are holding their phone are subject to being pulled over by police and issued a fine of $50 for the first offense, and could wind up with a longer prison sentence if their actions cause a serious accident.

If you need to use your phone while driving, invest in getting a docking station for hand-free usage! It could be the difference between life, death and prison time.