Lackawanna and Luzerne counties both have made a top 10 list - for counties with the most citations related to texting while driving.
Drivers in Luzerne County are tied for ninth and Lackawanna County came in 10th out of the state's 67 counties when it comes to being cited for texting and driving, according to an analysis by AAA Mid-Atlantic released Friday.
Police have issued 17 citations in Luzerne County and 15 in Lackawanna County for texting behind the wheel since the state's no-texting-while-driving law took effect six months ago, the data show.
The number is far below Philadelphia County, with 156, and the four suburban counties outside Philadelphia, but is the highest of all Northeast Pennsylvania counties.
The numbers are also broken down by metro area.
Not surprisingly, the state's largest metro areas had the highest number of citations. The Philadelphia metro area, including Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties, was first in the state with 355 citations out of a population of 4,030,926.
The Scranton-Wilkes-Barre metro area, including Luzerne, Lackawanna and Wyoming counties, was tied for fourth with 34 citations out of a population of 563,223.
Four drivers were cited in Monroe County; two were cited in Wyoming County; and one driver was cited in each of Pike, Susquehanna and Wayne counties in the first six months, according to data from the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts provided by AAA.
The new law, which took effect March 8, carries a minimum fine of $50.
AAA had been behind a national campaign to pass texting bans in all 50 states.
"We think education is really the key to keeping our roads safer," said Jenny M. Robinson, manager of public and government affairs for AAA Mid-Atlantic. "The goal is to change behavior and get people to stop texting behind the wheel, not just wait until they do it and then see them get a ticket."
KATIE SULLIVAN, staff writer, contributed to this story.
Contact the writer: bkalinowski@citizensvoice.com, @cvbobkal on TwitterFinger pointing
Here's a look at texting citations by county:
1. Philadelphia: 156
2. Montgomery: 75
3. Allegheny: 58
4. Delaware: 52
5. Bucks: 42
6. York: 35
7. Chester: 30
8. Lehigh: 19
9. Luzerne: 17
9. Dauphin: 17
9. Lancaster: 17
10. Lackawanna: 15