Enforcement of ban against driving while using cellphones begins Friday
Chatty drivers may have their conversations disrupted by police lights and sirens beginning Friday, June 5, when enforcement of Paul Miller’s Law becomes effective.
The law is named for Paul Miller Jr., who was killed in a crash with a tractor-trailer in 2010 in Monroe County as the result of a distracted driver reaching for their phone. Listed in the Motor Vehicle Code under section 3316.1, the law prohibits the use of interactive handheld mobile devices while driving.
The law applies even when drivers are stopped at red lights, stop signs and in traffic jams.
Gov. Josh Shapiro signed the law in 2024 and it went into effect in 2025. However, police were only authorized to issue warnings during the first 12 months. Beginning Friday, police can begin issuing summary citations that carry a $50 fine as well as court costs and fees.
Use of an interactive handheld device is defined in three ways in the law — using at least one hand or another part of the body to hold or support a device, dialing or answering a device by pressing more than a single button and reaching for a device in a manner in which the driver is no longer in a seated driving position. Emergency calls to 911 are still legal.
Cellphone use is regularly documented in vehicle crashes in Middlesex Township, according to Police Chief Justin Bouch.
“Distracted driving, including the use of cellphones and other electronic devices, is something officers regularly encounter during traffic crash investigations,” Bouch said. “In many cases, drivers admit they were looking at a phone, texting, using apps or otherwise distracted just before the crash occurred.”
Even when it is not officially listed as the primary cause, distraction is often a contributing factor that reduces a driver’s reaction time and awareness, he said.
“Unfortunately, many of these crashes could have been prevented if the driver had remained focused on the road,” Bouch said.
Handheld cellphone use creates a major safety risk because it divides a driver’s attention between the road and the device. Drivers who are texting, scrolling or holding a phone are more likely to miss traffic signals, changing road conditions, pedestrians or stopped vehicles, he said.
“Even a momentary distraction can have life-changing consequences,” Bouch added.
According to state police, troopers issued 18,418 citations and 429,835 warnings for distracted driving between April 1, 2025, and March 31, 2026. The statistics do not specify how many of the citations and warnings were for using handheld devices.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports 3,208 people died in crashes involving distracted driving in 2024 and 8% of fatal crashes in 2024 involved distracted driving, according to Trooper Bertha Cazy, public information officer for Troop D, which includes the Butler barracks.
Distracted driving is a common cause of accidents troopers respond to, she said.
“Taking your attention away from your main objective of driving causes mistakes that are avoidable, which leads to an accident,” Cazy said.
A driver holding a phone has one less point of contact with the steering wheel, she said.
“So that may limit your ability to control the vehicle if, for example, an object or even another vehicle runs out in front you and you need to swerve out of its way. Also looking down or over to your phone is taking your attention away from what’s going on all around you. It only takes a few seconds of not paying attention for an accident to occur,” Cazy said.
He said handheld device use is now a primary offense, or one police are allowed to pull a driver over for rather than one they can cite someone for after stopping them for another violation. Using a handheld device while driving used to be a secondary offense. A driver had to be pulled over for another offense to be cited for using the device, she said.
