Drive to stop texting and driving nears end

Ever since he first went to Harrisburg in 2004 as a freshman state representative from Montgomery County, Josh Shapiro persistently pursued legislation to penalize those who text while driving.

His persistence, it appears, has finally paid off.

The state House overwhelmingly approved legislation, 187 to 8, that makes texting and driving a primary motor vehicle offense, allowing police to pull over drivers if they see motorists typing into their cellphones.

A spokesman for state Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi, R-Delaware County, said the Senate was expected to swiftly sign off on Shapiro’s legislation and send it to Gov. Tom Corbett’s desk for his signature.

Corbett last week said, “Send me that bill.”

For Shapiro, all the sweat and hard work the last seven years was worth the victory.

“Someone I met last week told me, ‘keep fighting those guys in Harrisburg,’” Shapiro said of opposition to the bill. “Ninety percent of the public support it. What’s evident by the vote is commonsense prevailed.”