A ban on using a hand-held cell phone or texting advanced this week with the 156-40 passage by the state House. And while debate continues over the effectiveness of outlawing talking on a cell phone or texting while driving, Pennsylvania should join the seven other states that ban cell phone use while driving and the 19 other states that ban texting while driving. Banning the dangerous practices is the first step toward changing the culture about what is acceptable behavior behind the wheel.

Numerous studies have found that drivers distracted by talking on a cell phone are nearly as impaired as a drunken driver. And texting while driving, which requires a driver to take his or her eyes off the road, is unquestionably dangerous, despite being popular with many, mostly younger, drivers.

Highway statistics reinforce the need to crack down on drivers being distracted by cell phone use. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, about 500,000 people are injured each year in accidents involving someone using a cell phone, and 6,000 highway deaths are attributed to talking on a cell phone or texting while driving.

Because the practice is so common, bans on using a cell phone while driving and prohibitions against drivers texting are often met with some public resistance as well as skepticism over enforcement. The proposed law in Pennsylvania would make cell phone use by a driver a primary offense, meaning police could pull over and ticket a person for these offenses alone. That should allow for widespread enforcement. And after a few citations and fines, most people would likely change their behavior.

Nearly everyone has seen drivers talking on a cell phone while driving, often appearing distracted. Many drivers, if they are honest, will admit to having been distracted while talking on a cell phone.

And any driver who has texted while driving cannot deny taking his or her eyes off the road, other traffic and pedestrians while tapping a text message.

Tough laws, aggressively enforced, can help bring about a cultural shift that sees cell phone use and texting while driving as dangerous and unacceptable, just as drunken driving is dangerous and unacceptable.

Changing the attitude and behavior of so many drivers talking on cell phones while driving, or even texting while driving, will be difficult. But the figures supporting the need for change are staggering. The National Safety Council announced this week that 1.6 million traffic accidents a year are caused by cell phone use, with 1.2 million accidents linked to talking on a cell phone and 400,000 caused by texting.

Drivers distracted by cell phone use are so common that the NSC says one in four car crashes in the United States involves someone using a cell phone.

There is no shortage of studies to back up the sobering statistics. Researchers have found that not only are drivers visually impaired when looking at the phone to dial or text, but drivers also are mentally distracted when talking on the phone — meaning their brain is focused on the phone conversation rather than on what their eyes are seeing on the road.

Stopping cell phone use by drivers will be difficult, but it's worth the effort. The proposed new law for Pennsylvania is a good start.

Once enacted, the new law should be followed up by major education efforts, possibly accompanied by a grace period in which violators will be issued warnings. All driver education programs should demonstrate the dangers of driving while being distracted by cell phone use.

Eventually, strict enforcement and fines should help change the culture that now finds cell phone use while driving acceptable.

Just about every driver who talks on the phone or texts while driving has probably had a few close calls. And they are the lucky ones.

It's past time to get tough on cell phone use by drivers.

Changing cell phone use will be tough for many drivers. Switching to hands-free phones and using voice commands for dialing are a good first step to minimize chances for an accident. An even better approach would be to dramatically limit, or end, cell phone use while driving.

It's a serious issue that is injuring and killing people needlessly. Pennsylvania should make the effort to make its roads safer, reduce traffic accidents and save lives by first making it illegal to use a hand-held cell phone while driving — and then by enforcing the new law aggressively.