Philadelphia Cell-Phone Law Goes Into Full Effect Today

Starting today, bikers and drivers (and, all the news stories like to point out, scooters and skateboarders) will be be receiving $75 tickets for talking or texting on a cell phone while driving. Exceptions include calling Police or Emergency services, and using a hands-free device. More from the Inquirer here.

Hopefully this law will help us all to make our streets safer. A growing number of reports on the dangers of distracted driving (both to you and to the people you hit/cause to crash) show that the small inconvenience of waiting a few minutes to use your phone is worth the wait. It's even easier on a bike, which you can pull over on a moments notice.

One of the most poignant stories I've read about is the woman whose sister got into a car crash and died while the two of them were texting.

This new law demonstrates that the roads are a community space. We all have to trust in the driver/biker/pedestrian next to you to keep each other safe, to follow the rules and not do something stupid. That's one of the reasons it's important for all road users to follow this --and all other-- rules of the road.


Note: The New York Times published an article on 12/7/09 called "Driven to Distraction: Promoting the Car Phone, Despite Risks". The article provides a very interesting history of distracted driving, and talks with professionals from the cell-phone industry who all agree that “the reality of distracted driving has become more apparent to all of us.” Click here for the article.