By Eric Boehm | PA Independent
HARRISBURG – In the six months after Pennsylvania banned texting while driving, police in the state issued fewer than 800 citations for the new offence.
Data from the Philadelphia Police and the Administration Office of Pennsylvania Courts shows the majority of the citations for taxing while driving were issued in the Philadelphia area. The city of Philadelphia led the way with 156 citations in the first six months while the suburban counties around the state’s largest city, including Bucks and Montgomery, accounted for another 200 citations.
Meanwhile, police in the Pittsburgh area cited only 111 drivers over the first six months and the Harrisburg metro area rang up only 31 citations during the same period – which is an average of slightly more than one ticket per week in that part of the state.
The citation data, compiled by AAA Mid-Atlantic, seems to reinforce the argument that texting bans are practically impossible to enforce and generally ineffective. Drivers can avoid the fine by claiming they were searching their phone for a number to call, dialing a number or using their phone as a GPS device – all of which are still legal.
Adam Reed, spokesman for the Pennsylvania State Police, said it takes time for law enforcement and the public to get used to a new law – particularly one worded as specifically as the texting ban.
Jenny Robinson, spokeswoman for AAA Mid-Atlantic, which supports the texting ban, said the key to keeping roads safer is education drivers about the dangers of texting while behind the wheel.
“The goal is to change behavior and get people to stop texting behind the wheel, not just wait until they do it and then see them get a ticket,” she said.
TOP PENNSYLVANIA METRO AREAS Ranked by Number of Texting While Driving Citations (first six months of law effective, 3-8-12 through 9-8-12)
Metro Area Counties Included Population Total texting citations in 1st 6 months 1 Philadelphia Metro Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, Philadelphia counties 4,030,926 355 2 Pittsburgh Metro Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Washington, Westmoreland counties 2,359,746 111 3 Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton Metro Carbon, Lehigh, Northampton counties 824,916 38 4 York-Hanover Metro York County 436,770 34 5 Scranton-Wilkes-Barre Metro Lackawanna, Luzerne, Wyoming 563,223 34 6 Harrisburg-Carlisle Metro Cumberland, Dauphin, Perry counties 552, 911 31
SOURCE: AAA Mid-Atlantic, using data from Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts; Philadelphia Police; U.S. Census Bureau
Contact Boehm at Eric@PAIndependent.com and follow @PAIndependent on Twitter for more.
I'm not necessarily advocating for any kind of law change, just awareness of the fact that you're impaired when on the phone whether it is in your hand or on Bluetooth.
Because. I can.
Thank you to my Mom and Dad and for helping me fight traffic tickets as a kid. Didn't make a monster, a loser or a troll. Never hurt a soul on the road. Very good at sticking up for myself with local government, with credit card companies and Verizon and Comcast and all the rest.
your saying that your parents taught you valuable lesson that it's only wrong if you cant get away with it?
Unbelievable I guess to some parents who I guess are accustomed to teachers, TV and the police being the only people who teach their kids, and can't be bothered to teach lessons without those folks
"if you did something wrong, you need to own it, not half of it, not just the lesson, 100%." So let me ask YOU a question. How many times have you made a traffic error, accidental or otherwise, and gone into the police station to volunteer for a ticket? Sent in a check, unasked? After all, according to you, "if you do something wrong, you need to own it, not half of it, not just the lesson, 100%." Which would mean whether you got caught, or no, wouldn't it? How much do you owe in 100% of un-ticketed parking tickets, jaywalking fees, speeding, forget your turn signal once in awhile? One hundred percent, Kevin. Right? Thanks for the laugh!
So .... 300 feet in one second = 1 mile in 17.6 seconds = 204.5 miles per hour. So let's make it realistic... at 65mph, you'll cover about 95 feet (32 yards) in one second. I understand your point, but most of us have never driven anywhere at 204mph.
Eve - As far as living in the basment until he is fifty. He is welcomed to if he wants but he won't have to. He is a full time student at a local university AND works 30 or more hours a week. Unlike many you know I guess - he not only tells the truth, he is also a working, valuable member of society.
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I take it you are the letter of the law type. That's fine but it has it's drawbacks.