Rep. Doug Reichley (R-Berks/Lehigh) issued the following statement upon House passage of the Shapiro amendment to House Bill 2070, which makes it illegal to drive while using a hand-held cell phone. The bill also increases the penalty for other forms of distracted driving:

“Today, the House of Representative voted by an impressive bipartisan margin to join the ranks of other states to ban the dangerous practice of drivers using hand-held cell phones to speak to or text others.  I supported the Shapiro amendment, which effectively limits cell phone use while driving to hands-free devices only.

“My constituents have expressed aggravation and frustration about the numerous occasions in which they are endangered by distracted drivers using cell phones to talk or text while driving. Distracted driving is most frequently cited in accidents involving teen drivers.

“I am pleased to have joined with many other members from both sides of the aisle to move Pennsylvania into the column of states that wish to protect citizens from dangerous distracted driving behavior.”

Rep. Douglas Reichley

134th District

Pennsylvania House of Representatives

(717) 787-1000

(610) 965-9933

Contact:  Todd Abele

tabele@pahousegop.com or (717) 783-3957

Member Site: RepReichley.com

Twitter Site:  Twitter.com/repreichley