PHILADELPHIA, PA –The Philadelphia region leads the state for the number of citations written during the first six months of Pennsylvania’s new no-texting-while-driving law, according to an analysis by AAA Mid-Atlantic. There were a total of 796 citations issued across the state during that period. Of that number, 355 total tickets – nearly half - were written in Philadelphia, Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery counties together. The region has about a third of the state’s population.

AAA requested data from the state and added information from Philadelphia police. Pa.’s law against texting while driving took effect March 8th and is a primary offense with a $50 fine.

The motor club has long been at the forefront of the distracted driving issue, with a national campaign to pass texting bans in all 50 states. In Pennsylvania, AAA closely supported Senator Tommy Tomlinson’s bill which was signed into law November 9th, 2011 by Governor Corbett. AAA Mid-Atlantic sponsored 20 billboards in the Philadelphia region, and five in the Wilkes-Barre/Hazleton/Bloomsburg area for four weeks, from early March to early April, to inform motorists.