Montco leads in distracted driving
Berks, Chester also among Top 10 in citations issued
HARRISBURG » Montgomery County led the state in the number of citations issued for distracted driving between 2015 and 2019, according to statistics compiled by the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts.
There were a total of 2,317 such citations issued to drivers in Montgomery County between Jan. 1, 2015, and Dec. 31, 2019, comprising about 11.26 percent of the statewide total of 20,574 citations, according to data released by the court system.
Montgomery County ranked first in the state for the number of citations issued during the five-year period.
Chester, Delaware, Bucks, Berks and Philadelphia counties also made the top 10 list of counties with the most citations issued, according to the statistics.
Allegheny County, with 1,591 citations issued during the fiveyear period, ranked second in the state with about 7.73 percent of the statewide total.
Chester County ranked third in the state with 1,201 citations issued, or 5.84 percent of the statewide total, followed by Philadelphia with 1,140 citations issued, for about 5.54 percent of the statewide total, according to the statistics.
Bucks recorded a total of 985 citations issued during the fiveyear period, comprising 4.79 percent of the statewide total to rank fifth. Berks ranked ninth in the state with 835 citations issued during the period, or 4.06 percent of the statewide total.
Finally, Delaware County rounded out the top 10 with 785 total citations issued for about 3.82 percent of the statewide total during the five-year period.
Other counties in the top 10 included Cumberland, York and Lancaster, which ranked sixth, seventh and eighth, respectively.
The AOPC compiles the data but does not interpret it. But the statistics showed the most citations were issued in the more
populated areas of the state, in Southeastern Pennsylvania and near Pittsburgh.
Distracted driving citations in Pennsylvania can be issued for the following reasons: Using headphones while driving; Using a handheld mobile phone while driving a commercial vehicle; or texting while driving. Texting includes sending, reading or writing a text-based message.
Fines for distracted driving can range from $50 to $500 plus court costs and fees.
According to the statistics, Pennsylvania distracted driving citations decreased by 10 percent statewide from 2018 to 2019, from 4,793 to 4,292.
Montgomery County also recorded a decrease in the number of citations issued between 2018 and 2019, going from 577 to 443, according to the data.
The data also indicated that of the total 20,574 distracted driving citations issued from 2015 to 2019 about 70-percent were issued to male drivers.
About 34-percent of the people cited were in their 20s and 28-percent were in their 30s, according to the statistics. About 4-percent of those cited were in their 60s.
Local police issued 47-percent of the citations while Pennsylvania State Police issued 53-percent of the citations during the fiveyear period for which data was available. The greatest number of citations was issued between 10 a.m. and noon, according to the data.
Specifically, according to Pennsylvania’s Title 75 law, no driver shall operate a motor vehicle on a highway “while using an interactive wireless communications device to send, read or write a text-based communication while the vehicle is in motion” and no driver shall operate a vehicle “while wearing or using one or more headphones or earphones.”
Additionally, a driver may not engage in texting while driving a commercial motor vehicle or motor carrier vehicle and a driver may not use a handheld mobile telephone while driving a commercial motor vehicle or motor carrier vehicle.
The Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts highlights the work of the courts with data and statistics obtained through the judiciary’s case management systems, interactive dashboards and other research.
Distracted driving citations in Pennsylvania can be issued for the following reasons: Using headphones while driving; Using a handheld mobile phone while driving a commercial vehicle; or texting while driving. Texting includes sending, reading or writing a text-based message.