Pennsylvania may become the next state to ban the use of handheld cellphones while driving.

The House of Representatives voted 124-77 on Tuesday, April 9 to approve an amended version of a Senate-passed bill championed by Sen. Rosemary Brown, Monroe County, that would make it illegal for a driver to use handheld electronic devices while operating a vehicle.

The Senate already has passed the bill, but it will go back to the Senate for approval of the changes made before Tuesday’s vote. 

Lansdale-based Rep. Steven Malagari said during the debate the state doesn’t need people scrolling social media sites, watching movies and looking at emails while driving, according to The Sentinel.

“We need to make sure we take the phones out of people’s hands” while they drive, Malagari said.

The bill is intended to combat distracted driving. According to PennDOT, there were 14,202 distracted driver crashes in Pennsylvania, resulting in 65 fatalities in 2018.

For more information about each state’s distracted driving laws, you can click here

In related news, State Rep. Barbara Gleim introduced a bill in early February that would ban cellphones from the classroom. She believes the bill will help improve student’s mental health and academic performance.

The bill would mandate students put their cell phones in a safe location, such as their locker, for the duration of the school day, except for their lunch period. The bill also gives exemptions to ESL and special needs students.

“We got to get back to the basics where kids are coming in and getting down to business learning math, science, and reading without being distracted by a cell phone,” said Rep. Gleim.

FOX43’s video coverage is below:

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