CUMBERLAND COUNTY, Pa. — State officials are urging drivers to pay attention behind the wheel.
In an effort to encourage drivers to put down their phones, PennDOT and Pennsylvania State Police held a press conference at the Summerdale Driver and Photo License Center in Enola, Cumberland County on Thursday.
Officials said during the May 5 conference that distracted driving incidents increased over the past year.
"Fatalities and crashes of many types also went up in 2021 but deaths in crashes where distracted driving was a factor increased by 25% while suspected serious injuries in those crashes are up by 17%," said Mike Keiser, PennDOT's Acting Deputy Secretary for Highway Administration. "So obviously that's a trend in the opposite direction than where we'd like to be."
In Pennsylvania, there were 10,826 crashes involving a distracted driver in 2020, resulting in 47 fatalities and 296 suspected serious injuries.
In Pennsylvania, there is currently a texting-while-driving ban in place, which prohibits any driver from sending, reading or writing texts while their vehicle is in motion.
Those caught texting while driving could face a $50 fine.
For more information on distracted driving, click here.