The first year of Pennsylvania's ban on texting while driving resulted in 1,302 tickets being given statewide, including 49 in Chester County, according to an analysis by AAA Mid-Atlantic.
Chester County police issued the seventh-most tickets among Pennsylvania counties. Philadelphia (243) and Montgomery (111) were Nos. 1 and 2.
Delaware County police issued 75 tickets, ranking No. 4.
The law took effect March 8, 2012. It made texting while driving a primary offense, which means drivers can be pulled over for it, and it carries a $50 fine.
When comparing the ratio of total population to tickets issued, using the 2011 U.S. Census Bureau population estimates, Chester County's citation rate was slightly below the state average.
Here's how ticket totals corresponded to populations elsewhere:
Place Population Driver-texting tickets Tickets per 100,000 pop. Chester County 503,897 49 9.7 Delaware County 559,494 75 13.4 Montgomery County 804,210 111 13.8 Philadelphia 1,536,471 243 15.8 Pennsylvania 12,743,948 1,302 10.2How often do you text while driving? Are you worried about getting ticketed? Please tell us in the comments section below.
It is hard to know for sure if someone is texting, but I feel like I see it happening about 49 times a week--especially at red lights when drivers are staring at their laps and surrounding drivers slip away and the texters are left alone to wake up and roar through a light which is turning yellow. When I used to see drivers weaving I would assume they had been drinking. Now I wonder if they are drinking or texting or both. People who bike or jog on our narrow suburban roads are especially vulnerable. I agree with Harley D.--texting should carry bigger punishments. Cell phone use should be hands free. I wish there were an easier way to catch the offenders than after the crash.