A fundraiser is being held Jan. 27 in Lancaster city to raise awareness of the dangers of distracting driving, with proceeds going towards efforts to toughen Pennsylvania laws and support victims of distracted driving-related crashes.
The event is Saturday at the Elks Lodge, 219 North Duke Street, with live music from several artists.
There is no cover charge; donations to Hands Free America are appreciated.
For those who can not attend, donations can be made online anytime at paypal.me/handsfreeamerica.
Hands Free America is a project started by Joey Eddins, a member of Columbia Emergency Medical Services who was seriously injured in 2016 in a texting-involved vehicle crash.
Eddins is part of a push to make stricter laws in Pennsylvania against distracted drivers.
Nationally, over one million vehicle crashes every year involve distracted drivers, the National Safety Council has estimated.
Dozens of people have died in Pennsylvania in cellphone-involved crashes since 2012, according to PennDOT, including a New Providence woman who lost her life in 2015 when a texting driver veered into her vehicle in Strasburg Township.
Scheduled to perform Saturday are Burns Weaver, Rick Emery, Emily Croack and Ken Seick.
MEDIA CONTACT: Brett A. Hambright, 717-295-2041; bhambright@co.lancaster.pa.us; Twitter: @BrettHambright