Distracted Driving Citations Continue to Decline

female driver texting and driving April is National Distracted Driving Awareness Month, a time to remind people of the dangers of distracted driving and discourage this dangerous behavior.

While distracted driving has been a growing problem for years, there is some good news. Government data shows there was a six percent decrease in distracted driving citations in Pennsylvania (PA) in 2021 compared to 2020. This continues a downward trend in distracted driving citations in the state – this is the fourth straight year distracted driving citations have declined compared to the year before.

In Pennsylvania, these citations can be issued for the following activities while behind the wheel:

Using headphones
Using a handheld mobile phone if driving a commercial vehicle
Sending or reading a text message

Last year, 33 percent of those cited for distracted driving were in their 20s. Twenty-eight percent of those cited were in their 30s and just six percent of those cited were teenagers. The overwhelming majority of those cited were male. The Pennsylvania State Police issued 59 percent of the tickets while the local police issued 41 percent of the citations.

The data also breaks down citations by county and month. For example, 11 percent of the citations were issued in May. August came in second with 10 percent of the citations being issued in 2021.

Most citations were issued between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. Montgomery County had the highest percentage of distracted driving citations with 11 percent. Allegheny County had eight percent, Chester County had six percent, Cumberland had five percent, and the following counties each had four percent of the citations:

Lancaster
Lehigh
Berks

Delaware
Bucks
Philadelphia

These are the number of distracted driving citations issued each year between 2017 and 2021:

2017 – 5,054 citations
2018 – 4,793 citations
2019 – 4,292 citations

2020 – 2,293 citations
2021 – 2,163 citations

The data was gathered from PA Courts case management systems and Philadelphia Municipal Court traffic division.

Injured by a Distracted Driver? Call Schmidt Kramer for Legal Help

If you were injured in a motor vehicle crash with a driver who was distracted, our experienced Harrisburg auto accident lawyers are ready to help you seek compensation.

Our firm has obtained more than $100 million in compensation on behalf of our clients, including many crash victims. There are no upfront fees with our services – the initial consultation is free and there is no obligation to hire our firm afterward.

There is no risk in calling to learn how we may be able to help during this difficult time. We have been representing injured victims throughout Pennsylvania for more than 30 years.

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Distracted Driving Citations Decreased by Six Percent in 2021 in Pennsylvania

Injured by a Distracted Driver? Call Schmidt Kramer for Legal Help