Editorial | Controlling chatter

On Wednesday, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives unfortunately rejected a measure that would ban hand-held cell-phone use while driving in the state of Pennsylvania.

While the measure was harsh - it made talking on a hands-held phone a primary offense, meaning violators could be fined steeply - it was heading in the right direction and would have made a strong impact. Distracted driving causes many accidents, while it can easily be avoided, and for those reasons it's increasingly becoming the focus of lawmakers. In Philadelphia, a ban even stricter than the proposed state law was passed unanimously last week by the City Council, which the mayor intends to sign next week.

While banning hand-held cell-phone use seems harsh to twenty-somethings who have mastered the art of texting on a treadmill, one only needs to spend five minutes on Locust to see dozens of students concentrate more on what they're typing than where they're walking. The ban in Philadelphia even includes pedestrians, skaters and cyclists. These measures make sense given the relative sate of congestion in Philadelphia traffic.

The sentiment of the Pennsylvania bill lives on in the form of a second bill. This one seeks to impose less-harsh penalties on those caught driving and engaging in a range of distracting behaviors, from putting on makeup to reading to, yes, talking on a hand-held cell phone. Hopefully this will be enough to get people thinking twice before they let go of the wheel to pick up the phone.

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