- Pennsylvania will begin enforcing Paul Miller's Law, a new distracted driving measure, starting this Friday, allowing police to issue $50 fines to drivers caught holding or using an interactive mobile device while operating a vehicle.
- The law previously had a year-long warning period where officers could only issue written warnings, but that period has now concluded, making violations subject to immediate citations starting this Friday.
- Under the legislation, drivers are prohibited from holding a smartphone, tablet, or similar device, or supporting it with any part of their body, even when stopped at a red light or in traffic, making it a primary offense.
- While the law bans handheld device use, it permits hands-free technology such as Bluetooth and voice commands for calls, GPS navigation, and music, and includes exceptions for emergency calls to police or other services.
- Named after Paul Miller Jr., who died in a 2010 distracted driving crash, the law aims to reduce the significant number of incidents, with nearly 10,000 distracted-driving crashes reported in Pennsylvania in 2024, leading to 49 fatalities.
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