If you read our previous blog post about April being Distracted Driving Awareness month, you’ll know that it came at a good time. The Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts just released data that showed distracted driving incidents in Delaware County have gone up over the past year.
In 2014, police in Delaware County cited 29 drivers for driving with headphones in and another 99 for texting while driving. That’s 49 more arrests than were made in 2013. This upward trend also goes statewide. In total, PA drivers were cited 1,410 for texting while driving and 711 times for driving while wearing headphones in 2014. That makes for a total of 2,121 distracted driving stops, an increase of 263 from 2013.
Are PA Drivers Too Distracted?
Since March 2012, it’s been illegal to read, write, or send a text message while driving in Pennsylvania. Since the “no texting” law took effect, 3,940 tickets have been issued statewide. The most common punishment for texting while driving is currently a $50 fine. To learn more about distracted driving in Pennsylvania, read the full article on the Patch.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 660,000 Americans are using a mobile device while driving at any point of the day. Additionally, an estimated nine people per day are killed as a result of distracted driving. For more information on the dangers, please visit Distraction.gov.