Pa. Police Cite More Men than Women for Texting

HARRISBURG, Pa. – By a wide margin, female drivers pay more attention where they’re headed in Pennsylvania than male drivers, a report released Friday by the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts found.

Between 2014 and 2016, the number of distracted driver citations rose 52% from the years 2012, 2013 and 2014, the agency reported, and men constituted 70% of those arrested for sending, receiving or writing a text-based message or email, 28% women. The sex of other 2% wasn’t recorded.

Driving while distracted also included wearing or using headphones or earphones while driving.

As might be expected, the two most populous counties, Allegheny (Pittsburgh) and Philadelphia, had the highest numbers, 1,018 and 1,126 citations respectively over the five years when sections 1621, 1622 and 3316 (texting) and 3314 (headphones) of Title 75 has been in effect.

In Butler County, 136 were cited between 2012 and 2016, 43 in 2015 and 45 in 2016 after only 16 in 2012, 20 in 2013 and 12 in 2014.

Lawrence County (New Castle) showed 59 citations for the five years, 16 in 2015 and 12 in 2016, 46 violations of section 3316 that prohibits text-based communications.

Mercer County (Sharon and Hermitage) also showed 59 citations for the five years, 15 in 2015 and 17 in 2016. Thirty-seven of the 59 were for violating section 3316, with only one for texting while driving and that arrest was made last year. Ten were for driving while wearing headphones.

The administrative office does not track the disposition of the cases where drivers are charged with sending or reading texts while driving or wearing headphones or earphones while driving, a spokeswoman said.

Nor did the office break down the sex of those cited by county.

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