Midstate ranks high on list of texting-while-driving tickets

(Philadelphia) — A number of midstate communities rank high on the list of tickets written for texting while driving.

A study by AAA Mid-Atlantic pulls together statistics for the one-year-old statewide ban.

The York-Hanover area ranks third in the state with 65 citations, and the Harrisburg-Carlisle area is fifth with 53.

AAA spokeswoman Jenny Robinson says a recent poll of Pennsylvania drivers shows concern over texting, which is part of what the travel club calls “distracted driving.”

“Forty-three percent of our poll respondents said distracted drivers were their number-one fear on the road,” Robinson says. “By comparison, 23 percent of our respondents said drunk drivers were their biggest concern.”

Statewide, police have written about 1,100 texting-while-driving tickets since the law that carries a $50 fine took effect last year.

AAA’s data leaves out the City of Philadelphia, which keeps track of its citations separately.

Police have noted the law is difficult to enforce, as it prohibits officers from seizing drivers’ cell phones to check the text message log.