Pennsylvania has had more than 10,000 distracted driving offenses over the past four years.

Not many of those tickets have been written in Warren County.

Distracted driving offenses in Pennsylvania could be issued for using headphones while driving, using a handheld mobile phone while driving a commercial vehicle or texting while driving. Texting includes sending, reading or writing a text-based message.

According to data released recently by the state court system, there were 10,291 tickets for distracted driving written from Jan. 1, 2020, through Dec. 31, 2024. Only 21 (.21%) of those tickets were written in Warren County. Rural counties in the region followed suit. Forest County had only 13 distracted driving tickets written over four years. The numbers were slightly higher in Bradford County (45 distracted driving tickets) and Elk County, where 37 distracted driving tickets were issued.

The state court system data comes from a statewide count of distracted driving offenses filed over the past four years as recorded in the Magisterial District Judge System and Philadelphia Municipal Court Traffic Division eTIMS System. Data also showed people in their 20s are the most common offenders of the state’s distracted driving laws and violations peaked between 10 a.m. and noon.

Distracted driving tickets have been on a downward trend in the state since 2020, dropping from 2,293 statewide in 2020 to 1,934 statewide in 2024. Counties with the most distracted driving tickets are Allegheny (9%), Montgomery (8%), Chester (6%), Bedford (5%), Delaware (5%), Dauphin (4%), Lancaster (4%), Luzerne (4%), Lehigh (4%) and York (4%).

The number of distracted driving tickets could increase after July 1 when the state’s distracted driving laws change after the state’s passage of Paul Miller’s Law in 2024 prohibiting, as a primary offense, any driver from using an interactive mobile device while driving a motor vehicle. In the past, police could only ticket someone for distracted driving if they pulled the driver over for another traffic offense.

Pennsylvania joins a majority of states that ban motorists from handling a cell phone for almost any purpose while driving. Currently, Pennsylvania’s restriction on cell phone use while driving applies only to texting.

Police will be able to write tickets to a driver handling their phone for almost any reason. Drivers can still use their phone to make phone calls or for other functions, such as listening to music, if they are using it hands-free with technology such as a docking station, Bluetooth or speakers. The ban applies to motorists sitting in traffic or stopped at a traffic light, but does not include a driver who has parked on the side of the road or another place where the vehicle can remain stopped safely. Other exceptions include for navigational use or alerting emergency responders.

For the first 12 months, the penalty is a written warning. Starting June 5, 2026, the penalty is a summary offense with a $50 fine, plus court costs and other fees. If a driver is convicted of homicide by vehicle and driving while distracted, they may be sentenced up to an additional five years in prison.

Crashes where a distracted driver was a contributing factor are down in Pennsylvania in the past decade, as crashes overall have declined, according to state data.

In some years, it was the second-leading cause of accidents, according to a 2024 Associated Press report. In 2022, it was the third-leading cause. That was behind speed and improper turning, but ahead of drinking alcohol, careless passing and tailgating.