We all know that texting and driving is a very bad idea and that we should avoid using our phone or the entertainment center of our car when we are moving to avoid distractions at the wheel. However, knowing this and following it are two very different things, and because of voice commands and the false sense of security that things being just a touch away provide, we have gotten complacent and are now having more traffic accidents because of these distractions once again. The state of Pennsylvania has noticed this uptick and has introduced a new law that cracks down on using phones while driving in an attempt to improve road safety.
The new law, called Paul Miller’s Law, after a young man who lost his life in 2010 because someone behind the wheel was not paying attention is attempting to eliminate distractions while driving and has passed both the House of Representatives and the Senate and is now being signed by the Governor into law.
Since Paul died, his family has made an effort to ensure that the tragedy does not repeat, and the efforts, spearheaded by his mother Eileen Miller, have finally culminated in the passing of this bill. This was not an easy road for her, but thanks to the close support of State Senator Rosemary Brown they were able to make it a reality. At the bill signing, Eileen gave a powerful speech, filled with emotion and gratitude, making it clear how much this meant to her, and how important it was for families like hers.
The new Pennsylvania traffic law, an attempt to curb distractions on the road
Starting June 5, 2025, drivers in Pennsylvania will not be allowed to use handheld mobile devices at all while driving, which means no making calls, no texting and no using apps. The physical phone needs to be put away unless it is an emergency or it is being used for navigation purposes. Under this law, radios used by emergency personnel and certain commercial drivers are not affected by this ban.
Although there are penalties for breaking this new law put in place, they will not go into effect all at once, it will be a gradual process so as to not treat this as a cash grab, but as the safety measure that it is. For the first year there will be no fines but police will hand out warnings to give drivers time to adjust. Next year, come June 2026, anyone caught using their cell phone on the road will have to pay a $50 fine, plus court and admin fees.
Cambria County District Attorney Greg Neugebauer praised the move, calling it an intelligent response to the distracted driving problem and pointed out that it is not just about having a law on paper but that it needs to be enforced to really make a difference. Police officers will now be able to pull over anyone they see using a phone behind the wheel, treating it like any other traffic offense.
The law really is not an overreaction to an inexistant problem, on the contrary, just in 2023 distracted driving played a role in over 11,000 crashes across Pennsylvania. Sixty-three of those were fatal. And that is a problem not just in the state, but across the country, which means that more states are choosing to implement similar laws to prevent more accidents from happening.
Drivers in Pennsylvania may not be thrilled, but they are aware of the problem, and when asked to comment, the general consensus was summarized by this statement that one local driver gave anonymously to WJAC “I feel that it’s a good law because I’ve seen so many distracted drivers and just taking your eyes off the road for a few minutes can of course cause an accident, so even if it saves a life, it’s worth it.”
