Crime & Safety
Montgomery County is No. 2 in Driver-Texting Tickets
Only Philadelphia issued more citations in the first year of a Pennsylvania law.
The first year of Pennsylvania's ban on texting while driving resulted in 1,302 tickets being given statewide, including 111 in Montgomery County, according to an analysis by AAA Mid-Atlantic.
Only Philadelphia police, with 243 tickets, issued more. Delaware County police issued 75, ranking No. 4 among Pennsylvania counties, and Chester County police issued 49, ranking No. 7.
The law took effect March 8, 2012. It made texting while driving a primary offense, which means drivers can be pulled over for it, and it carries a $50 fine.
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When comparing the ratio of total population to tickets issued, using the 2011 U.S. Census Bureau population estimates, Montgomery County's citation rate exceeded the state average by about 35 percent.
Here's how ticket totals corresponded to populations elsewhere:
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