Motorists who text while driving might be putting their lives and those of others at risk.

But their risk of getting caught is pretty low.

In the year since a statewide ban on texting while driving took effect, data reveals that no more than five people in any one month have been cited for the offense in Lancaster County.

Some county law-enforcement officials and district judges say they haven't had a single case come across their desks.

But that doesn't mean the law is being ignored.

"It's just very tough to enforce," said East Cocalico Township police Chief George Beever. "I don't think my department issued a citation the whole year."

Since the bill passed, 1,302 citations for texting while driving have been issued in the entire state, according to AAA Mid-Atlantic. The county is actually high on the list with 29 tickets.

Home to one of the state's largest driving-age populations, the county ranked 11th in the number of citations handed out since the law took effect March 8, 2012. The Philadelphia region topped the list with a combined number of 545, or 43 percent of all the citations issued in Pennsylvania.

AAA Mid-Atlantic used data from the state Administration Office of Pennsylvania Courts and municipal police departments to conduct the survey.

The offense carries a $50 fine.

Proving a driver has broken the law is the problem law-enforcement officials are running into, said Lancaster city police Sgt. Bill Hickey.

"If an officer sees someone pushing a keyboard on a cellphone, he or she could be dialing the phone or searching for a number," he said. "We can't ask to see the phone to confirm they were texting. It puts us in an awkward position."

East Hempfield Township police Chief Stephen Skiles agrees.

"To look at someone driving down the road and discern what exactly they're doing is tough," he said.

Willow Street District Judge William Benner has tried just one texting-while-driving case, while Ephrata District Judge Tony Russell hasn't had any. And both agree with the police chiefs.

Manheim Township police Sgt. Tom Rudzinski said the law is too vague to be effective.

"There are legitimate reasons to use phones while driving, so there is no easy way to rewrite the law," he said.

And Hickey said he's not even sure if the threat of a fine makes drivers think twice before typing.

"Texting while driving needs to be addressed, but I don't think this law is really discouraging it," he said.
kshuey@lnpnews.com