Is it legal to use headphones driving in PA? New law allows a group of drivers to do so
A Pennsylvania state law took effect this week that allows motorcyclists to wear dual-ear headsets or helmets with speakers over both ears.
Previously, motorcyclists could only wear one-ear earpieces. Those who have standard Pennsylvania driver’s licenses are still prohibited from wearing two-ear headphones behind the wheel.
It is unlikely the law, House Bill 646, which took effect Jan. 5, will have a major impact. Traffic citations for wearing headphones are relatively rare, with an average of 720 per year across Pennsylvania from 2012 to 2017, according to the state court system, whose data does not differentiate between motorcyclists and other types of motorists.
Centre County had fewer than a dozen such citations per year during that time, except in 2014, when there were 14. Statewide traffic citations for all violations were around 1.4 million per year.
Two representatives from motorcycle dealerships in the area, Don Confer of Track N Trail and Ron Hartsock of Best Line Powersports, both said helmets with dual speakers or dual-ear headsets were fairly common sales even before the law went into effect. State Rep. Zachary Mako, the Lehigh Valley Republican who wrote the law, said in a memo to his colleagues he wanted to update the law “to better reflect the times.”
The new law, Act 43, signed in November after sailing through the General Assembly, was at least four years in the making. Similar legislative efforts had been ongoing since 2021, but stalled in two consecutive sessions of the General Assembly.
The change is the latest to give more flexibility to Pennsylvania motorcycle owners. A state law took effect last year allowing motorcycles to be inspected year-round; previously, motorcycles could only be inspected between March and October. A separate law extending Lemon Law protections to motorcycles also took effect in 2025.
