Pennsylvania Anti-Texting Law Difficult to Enforce

Earlier this week we reported on AT&T’s push to stop drivers from texting when behind the wheel.  Statistics show texting drivers are 23 times more likely to be in an accident. Even though 39 states, including Pennsylvania, have an anti-texting law, still more than 100,000 crashes a year involve drivers who are texting.  Unfortunately, according to the Scranton chief of police, enforcing Pennsylvania’s law is challenging.

In March, Pennsylvania’s anti-texting law went into effect making texting-while-driving a primary offense.  PA law enforcement can stop and ticket a driver for texting and driving now, without any other violation.

However, an article in the Times-Tribune reports that according to Carl Graziano, acting police chief of the Scranton Police Department, since talking on the cellphone or searching for contacts in the phone are still legal, “It’s difficult for an officer to discern whether they’re [drivers] texting or looking up numbers on their phone.”

In the six months since the anti-texting law took effect, the Scranton Police Department has cited less than 10 drivers for violating the law. In nearby Dickson City, only one person has been cited for texting while driving.  Although the police may not be able to cite a driving for a texting violation, if the driver is swerving or driving dangerously while on a cell phone, police can cite the driver for  distracted driving and traffic violations.

Eileen Miller, who lost her son in a Monroe County car crash caused by a distracted driver, is pushing the state legislature to tighten up the anti-texting law, according to the Times-Tribune. Miller said her campaign is challenging and disappointing, but she is not planning on stopping her fight until cellphone use is banned in the state.

Our Pennsylvania truck accident lawyers have also seen the devastation a distracted driver can cause.  Statistics show that texting and driving don’t mix.  While the risk of being in a serious accident yourself may not deter you from texting, consider how you will feel if you take the life of an innocent child. Please, don’t text while driving.

About Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys

Munley Law is a Pennsylvania accident and injury law firm that represents car accident victims and their families throughout the state of Pennsylvania and the Northeast, including those injured in accidents that involve speeding, distracted driving, drunk driving, fatigued driving, aggressive driving and careless driving in hazardous weather conditions. The Pennsylvania personal injury law firm’s additional practice areas include trucking accidents, motorcycle accidents, medical malpractice, defective products, toxic chemicals, workplace injuries, nursing home litigation and other serious accidents. To contact the law firm, use the firm’s online contact form.