Distracted driving down 30% in county, 60% in state
According to the Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania, distracted driving in the county is down approximately 30% since 2018 — compared to 60% across the state.
A press release by PA Courts stated that distracted driving citations can be issued for “using headphones while driving, using a handheld mobile phone while driving a commercial vehicle or texting while driving.”
According to the release, 59% of those citations are issued by state police.
“Even though the number’s declining, I wouldn’t say it’s no longer a problem,” said Bertha Cazy, public information and community service officer for state police Troop D.
And while the release models an overall trend of decreases across the state, Butler is still well below the roughly 54% average decrease in surrounding counties.
Clarion County saw the highest decrease at a little over 70%, while the lowest was Armstrong County’s 11% decrease.
Allegheny County, responsible for more than 50% of the surrounding counties’ 2,282 citations, saw a decrease of 68%.
Beaver, Venango and Lawrence counties each saw an approximately 63% decrease. Mercer county decreased by roughly 62%, Westmoreland County by 64%.
Butler, representing just over 8% of the surrounding counties’ citations, took second place for the smallest decrease.
Cazy said the reason for the county’s performance was unclear.
“I’m not sure if (other counties are) putting out more commercials about that to promote less distracted driving than we are,” she said. “That could be something, but I don’t know.”
Over the last five years, the county also has seen a series of increases and decreases in distracted driving citations, rather than a steady decline.
From 2018 to 2019, citations increased 9%. Citations went down 30% the following year.
From 2020 to 2021, citations increased again by 11%, only to decrease 30% between 2021 and 2022.
Of the total 15,482 citations issued state-wide since 2018, Butler County represents 1.19% at 184 citations.
The PA Courts’ release stated that the most cited groups were males and drivers in their 20s, and that Allegheny County ranks second for most distracted driving citations state-wide.
Since 2018, most citations were also given in May, July and August of each year, according to the release, and 10 a.m. to noon was the most common time period for violations.
In Pennsylvania, texting while driving incurs a $50 fine in addition to court costs and fees.
But distracted driving can incur a much greater cost, according to Cazy — sometimes proving as lethal as driving under the influence.
“Because you’re not focused on driving, even if you’re eating and driving, that’s going to limit your reaction time if you’re not paying attention to what’s going on around you,” Cazy said.
She also theorized that the recent adoption of smart cars could be responsible for the overall decline across the state.
“I know with a lot of the newer cars you can control (your phone) from the steering wheel, so you’re not physically picking up your phone,” Cazy suggested, “but I don’t have any evidence to back up (that theory).”
Regardless, Cazy still encourages drivers to always keep focused on what they’re doing.
“Eating your food can wait, even if you’re starving; text messages can wait; phone calls can wait,” Cazy said. “And if it can’t wait, pull over — rather than getting into an accident.”
