The state Department of Transportation is urging motorists to pay attention to the road while driving as part of National Distracted Driving Awareness Month.
"Driving is a serious job that requires your full attention, all of the time. Distractions come in all forms, and we all need to take personal responsibility for our actions behind the wheel - that includes avoiding distractions," Barry J. Schoch, PennDOT secretary, said.
According to information from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the website www.distraction.gov, distracted driving is "any activity that could divert a person's attention away from the primary task of driving."
Examples include talking or texting on cellphones while driving, eating or drinking, grooming, adjusting devices such as a radio or GPS, speaking with other occupants of the vehicle and paying attention to children or pets, PennDOT said.
Statewide, a law became effective March 8, 2012, prohibiting texting while driving. The offense is $50.
State police Trooper Adam Reed, coordinator of the public information office, Harrisburg, said in an email the Pennsylvania State Police has issued 330 citations for violating the law since its inception. He does not have information about what other law agencies have done.
No citations have been issued by state police for Schuylkill County, he said.
"We do not have a 'distracted driving' law per say, as the law only applies to texting. However, PennDOT will have a total number for crashes involving distracted driving as the causal factor for the crash," Reed said Friday.
PennDOT data shows that more than 14,600 crashes involved a distracted driver last year. As a result, 57 people died. Additional information during the last five years shows that about 11 percent of statewide crashes involved a driver who was distracted. Because of that, more than 300 people died, according to the state.
In Schuylkill County, three people died in 2011 as a result of distracted driving, while no one died in 2012, according to an email from Sean Brown, spokesman for District 5, Allentown.
Pottsville police Chief Joseph Murton V said Friday he does not have a breakdown of statistics for distracted driving in Pottsville.
He said motorists should remember why they are in a car - to get somewhere. He advised people who want to text or talk on the phone to pull over safely to the side of the road and then to use a phone. Talking on the phone while driving is not illegal in Pennsylvania.
"It's very easy to get into a crash when you're not focused on your driving," Murton said.
