LACKAWANNA COUNTY - Drivers traveling roadways in Lackawanna County and across the state have been required to stop texting for exactly one year.
Driver Jackie Fenton said she had a close call once, and now never touches her phone while behind the wheel.
"I was looking at the time, and it was bumper to bumper traffic, and I wasn`t going fast or anything, but next thing I know I kind of got into a little bit of an accident. It wasn`t that serious, but it could have been," said Jackie Fenton of Scranton.
According to state police, just under 1000 citations for texting while driving have been written in PA.
"I would say that the law is a better alternative than what we had prior to its passage," said State Police Lt. Christopher Paris.
State Police in our area have written about 30 of the citations, each of those drivers required to pay a $50 fine.
Daniel Glucksnis of Roaring Brook said he also hangs up the phone while driving, even though he knows others don't.
"You see too many distracted drivers out there, I`ll be behind someone and you`ll see them swerving and everything," said Glucksnis.
Even though more drivers say they`re putting down their phones before hitting the road, PennDOT said about 350 more crashes happened in the past year, because of distracted driving.
"In a way I don`t think people are really going to like listen to it until something actually happens, it`s a shame," said Billy Browns, Sunoco Gas Attendant.
State police and other drivers are urging others behind the wheel to resist that urge to text, to help keep the roads safe and save lives.
"Anything that distracts your attention away from the driving task itself, you`re hazarding not only yourself, but you`re hazarding also other occupants in the car and all of the motorists around you," said Lt. Paris.
"Is really telling somebody you`re going to be there in five minutes that important you don`t want to want to hit anything, or anybody," said Fenton.