- Pennsylvania police issued nearly 700 cellphone-driving citations in just three days.
- The crackdown came days after the state’s handheld phone ban took effect.
- Drivers can now be ticketed solely for holding a phone, even at red lights.
During the first week of June, a new law went into effect in Pennsylvania. Police now have the legal authority to pull drivers over simply for holding a phone while behind the wheel. It almost doesn’t matter what they’re doing with it or if they’re stopped at a red light, either. Now, only ten days later, police have taken full advantage of this new law by pulling over 1,000+ drivers.
Pennsylvania State Police launched a targeted enforcement campaign called Operation Hands Off, according to the Post-Gazette. Over three days from June 8 through June 10, troopers issued 694 citations and another 308 warnings to drivers caught holding or using a cellphone behind the wheel.
That’s a significant number considering the state spent the previous year educating motorists about the rule rather than issuing tickets. During that grace period, police handed out 1,272 warnings statewide. In just three days of active enforcement, troopers issued citations equal to more than half that total.
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Pennsylvania is now among 33 states, plus Washington, D.C., that prohibit handheld phone use while driving. Hands-free systems, including Bluetooth-connected devices, remain legal. The law is also classified as a primary offense. That means an officer doesn’t need another reason to initiate a traffic stop. Simply observing a driver holding a phone is enough to justify a citation.
The penalty itself may not seem severe at first glance, a $50 fine, but court costs and additional fees can increase the total amount drivers ultimately pay. While distracted-driving enforcement was allegedly the focus of the operation, troopers were busy elsewhere, too. During the same three-day period, they arrested 98 motorists on DUI charges, issued more than 6,000 additional traffic citations, and handed out over 4,000 warnings for other violations.
That’s quite the hall, and it’s also worth noting that this data only includes the PSP, not other police departments. It’s very plausible that there were hundreds more traffic stops, citations, and warnings that went down since June 5. Be careful out there if you’re driving in Pennsylvania. Officers are watching.
