Pa. House Committee Advances Bills On Distracted Driving

HARRISBURG Pa. (CBS) - The state House Transportation Committee has advanced a series of bills dealing with distracted drivers and teen drivers.

In addition to a bill that would place more restrictions on junior drivers, the House Transportation Committee has approved two bills that would address distracted behavior by all drivers. One measure would make a broad range of distracted driving activities a secondary offense, while another, sponsored by Bucks County Republican Kathy Watson, would make texting while driving a primary offense.

"I think there is support for going a step further on texting and making it primary," Watson says.

But the chairman of the Transportation Committee, Republican Richard Geist, says even if a primary ban on texting while driving passes the House, its fate is questionable, "If it makes it out of the House, it's going to have a difficult time in the Senate because of their past history."

The Senate has heretofore been less interested than the House in tougher distracted driving laws but, Geist says, you never know.

Reported by Harrisburg Bureau Chief Tony Romeo, KYW Newsradio 1060