Philadelphia Car Accident Attorney Tips Hat To Pennsylvania State Rep. Kate Harper (R-Montgomery) For Co-Sponsoring A Bill Which Would Impose Restrictions On 16 and 17-Year Old Drivers Regarding The Use Of Cell Phones While Operating Motor Vehicles
As a practicing Philadelphia car accident attorney since 1979, I have written many times about the use of cell phones by teenagers for text messaging or speaking while operating a motor vehicle. The two simply do not go together and according to recent surveys often times result in catastrophic injuries or deaths.
I salute the efforts of State Representative Kate Harper (R-Montgomery) who is co-sponsoring House Bill 67 which will impose restrictions on 16 and 17-year olds. If the legislation passes, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania will join 18 other states and the District of Columbia putting cell phone limits on young drivers.
According to AAA, there were 101 fatalities and 9,726 crashes during 2007 involving drivers under the age of 18. Statistics from a study of Children’s Hospital and National Transportation Safety Board show increases of car accidents while texting or using a cell phone. Motor vehicle car accidents remain the leading cause of death for 15 through 20-year olds according to the 2007 Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia study which I previously noted in other blogs. Sixteen-year-old drivers are almost five times as likely to be in a crash while traveling with peer passengers. New Jersey has banned all hand held devices behind the wheel according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and forbids texting by all drivers and restricts bus drivers and young drivers from using any cell phone.
Under the new bill, teens would also require 65 hours of training prior to earning a junior driver’s license, a 15 hours increase from current. Of course, this Bill does not apply to 911 emergency calls.
Kudos to Representative Harper for taking this step in the right direction.
If you or a loved one has been injured in a car accident, please contact the Philadelphia car accident attorneys at Reiff and Bily for a free consultation at 1-800-421-9595 or online at www.reiffandbily.com.
