We were recently asked by La Salle College High School to present the Teen Driving Summit scheduled for March 29, 2012.

In preparation for the presentation, we filmed 3 juniors in a car simulator last Thursday, March 15, 2012.  During filming, the students and I talked about their driving habits and what they think of texting while driving.

The students knew about Pennsylvania's new law banning texting while driving, which went into effect on March 8, 2012.  One of the students asked me how the police officers are going to be able to tell when a person is dialing the phone while driving or when a person is texting while driving?  I didn't have an answer for the student and I don't think there is a concrete answer at this point.

This is one of the major concerns with the new PA law banning texting while driving because it does not ban talking on the cell phone while driving.

Talking while driving is still distracted driving and in my opinion, it should also be banned. 

Though cities such as Philadelphia and Harrisburg had local ordinances that banned the use of cell phones to talk and to text, these ordinances are no longer effective because the new state law preempts these ordinances.

It seems that the state law is a step in the right directions, but upon further review, it really is a step backwards. The PA legislature needs to follow in the footsteps of the New Jersey legislature and ban use of cell phones while driving, including talking while driving and texting while driving.

For now, we can only wait and see how police officers will enforce the law.

Distracted driving leads to serious accidents and injuries.  Distracted drivers can face various legal liabilities. Click here to read about the types of claims distracted driver can face in accidents.  If you want to learn more about our Teen Driving Safety Summit Program, visit www.teendrivingsummit.com.