Claim: New law going into effect in November 2007 will make it illegal for motorists in Pennsylvania to use cell phones while driving.
Status: False.
Example: [Collected via e-mail, October 2007]
Legislative Brief Handheld Mobile Telephone Use State of Pennsylvania Effective November 10, 2007 motorists in the state of Pennsylvania will be prohibited from using handheld mobile telephones while operating a vehicle. The Bill (House Bill The Bill states that "No driver shall operate any moving vehicle on a highway of this Commonwealth, which shall include Federal, State and municipal highways, while using a handheld mobile telephone." The term "handheld mobile telephone" is defined by the bill as:
It also defines hands-free mobile telephone as follows:
The new law does not apply, however to the following, when on duty and acting in their official capacities:
The bill also mentions that defensible actions for the use of a handheld mobile telephone will be:
A person who is found to be in violation of this section commits a summary offense and upon conviction, will be sentenced to pay a $50 fine. |
Origins: This
warning about "Handheld Mobile Telephone Use — State of Pennsylvania" began to circulate on the Internet in October 2007, usually as a PDF file (an example is shown here).
Chatty Pennsylvania motorists take heart — there is no such law going into effect in November 2007. Whoever penned the alert quoted above confused the introduction of
Said Transportation Committee Chairman Joe Markosek's Office of the matter: "The bill in question has not received any votes as of today and currently remains in the House Transportation Committee. House
Last updated: 14 October 2007
Sources: