HARRISBURG -- State Reps. Joe Markosek and Kathy Watson are from different political parties and opposite sides of the state, but they share one problem.

Mr. Markosek, D-Monroeville, and Ms. Watson, R-Bucks, are both trying to find ways to keep more Pennsylvania drivers alive -- especially 16- and 17-year-olds -- without unnecessarily butting into people's lives or cramping their freedom.

"We're trying to figure out how to increase safety by reducing distractions while driving, such as cell phone use, text messaging and other things," Mr. Markosek said last week. "Our job is to have the wisdom to come up with a compromise that a majority of folks feel is reasonable."

To that end, his panel will meet in Downtown Pittsburgh Wednesday to hear from some experts in the transportation field.

The session, from 1 to 3:30 p.m. at the Regional Enterprise Tower, will include Dr. Sheila Klauer of the Center for Automotive Safety Research at the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute; Matthew Sundeen, who works for the National Conference of State Legislatures; Mark Fox, a paramedic from the Greene County area who was on the scene of an auto accident caused by cell phone use; and Brian Newbacher, an AAA East Central official.

The issue of reducing distractions for drivers is a national problem and many legislatures are trying to deal with it. A law just took effect Saturday in New Jersey, which makes hand-held cell phone use and text messaging "primary offenses" for drivers, meaning police can stop and cite drivers if they spot them using hand-held phones or text messaging.

New Jersey is the first state to make text messaging a primary offense. By contrast, in Pennsylvania not wearing a seat belt is a secondary offense, meaning a police officer has to have another reason for pulling a driver over, such as running a red light or speeding, and if the driver isn't buckled up, he can be cited for that also.

Numerous bills are in the hopper in Harrisburg pertaining to driving safety. They are probably going to be whittled down to one or maybe two omnibus bills, if legislators can agree on what to ban, Mr. Markosek said.

There is political danger in doing so, because many drivers get upset at the idea of "nanny government" -- legislators trying to overregulate people's lives.

Some of the potential laws being discussed include:

• Making seat belt use a primary offense for junior drivers, those 16 and 17 years old who haven't had much experience behind the wheel. Police could stop a young driver simply for not wearing a seat belt, something officers can't do now.

• Prohibiting a junior driver from having more than one teenage passenger in his or her car at a time. The idea, Ms. Watson said, is to reduce chatter that could distract the young driver and lead to accidents.

• Increasing the number of hours of drivers' training for 16-year-olds.

• Banning the use of hand-held mobile phones while driving -- hands-free phones would still be permitted -- or banning text messaging while driving, as New Jersey has done.

But what about other distractions that many drivers engage in and can also sometimes lead to accidents, such as scolding unruly children, combing one's hair, putting on makeup, eating food or drinking liquids, especially hot drinks, tuning the radio or changing a musical CD?

Many legislators have said privately that such behavioral items probably won't be covered by legislation because many people would see lawmakers as overstepping their bounds and becoming intrusive "nannies."

Mr. Markosek said Wednesday's hearing is part of his committee's effort to collect information on the sensitive subject of distractions while driving and he isn't sure yet when a bill might come up for discussion and a vote.