Pennsylvania's distracted driving law, known as Paul Miller's Law, is fully enforceable as of today, Friday, June 5, 2026.
That means police can begin writing tickets for using a handheld interactive mobile device while driving. Violations will carry a $50 fine, plus court costs and other fees.
If a driver is convicted of homicide by vehicle and driving while distracted, they may be sentenced up to an additional five years in prison, PennDOT officials note.
Passed by the legislature and signed by Gov. Josh Shapiro two years ago, Paul Miller's Law prohibits drivers from using a handheld interactive mobile device while driving, including while temporarily stopped in traffic or at a red light.
It's named for a 21-year-old Scranton man who was killed by a distracted tractor-trailer driver in 2010.
Motorists have had two years to prepare for the change.
Effective June 5, 2025, drivers were prohibited from using an interactive mobile device (IMD) while driving a motor vehicle. For the past year, however, the law only allowed police to issue written warnings.
“The educational period has given drivers time to adjust their habits," said state Sen. Rosemary Brown (R-Monroe County), who spearheaded the bill.
"Now, with full enforcement beginning, I urge every Pennsylvanian to put their phone down, stay focused on the road and help make our highways safer for everyone,” Brown said in a statement released this week.
“If this law prevents even one family from enduring the loss the Miller family has experienced, it will have made a meaningful difference,” she said.
Below is a summary of what drivers need to know.
What does the law say?
No driver may use an interactive mobile device (IMD) while driving a motor vehicle.
The law makes it a primary offense to do so, which means police can stop drivers if they have a mobile device in their hand while driving.
Even if I am stopped at a red light?
Handheld devices are forbidden even if you are stopped at a red light, or at a stop sign or just idling in traffic.
What if I just reach over to answer my phone?
The law prohibits: "... using at least one hand to hold, or supporting with another part of the body, an interactive mobile device, dialing or answering an interactive mobile device by pressing more than a single button, or reaching for an interactive mobile device that requires a driver to maneuver so that the driver is no longer in a seated driving position, restrained by a seat belt."
What is considered an interactive mobile device?
The new law defines an IMD as "a handheld wireless telephone, personal digital assistant, smart phone, portable or mobile computer, or similar device which can be used for voice communication, texting, emailing, browsing the Internet, instant messaging, playing games, taking or transmitting images, recording or broadcasting videos, creating or sharing social media or otherwise sending or receiving electronic data."
Are there any exceptions?
Yes. The law allows for emergency use "if it is necessary to communicate with a law enforcement official or other emergency service to prevent injury to persons or property."
And drivers may use their devices if they move their vehicle to the side of or off a highway and stop in a location where the vehicle can safely remain stationary.
What are the penalties?
A summary offense with a $50 fine, plus court costs and other fees.
If a driver is convicted of homicide by vehicle and driving while distracted, they may be sentenced up to an additional five years in prison.
Didn't Pa. already have a distracted driving law?
Partially.
Pennsylvania has had a texting-and-driving ban since 2012, signed into law by Gov. Tom Corbett the previous year.
But a full ban on handheld digital devices took much longer, facing stiff resistance from critics on both sides of the aisle in Harrisburg as well as outside the legislature.
Why did it take two years to start writing tickets?
As Brown said, the delay was intentional to give the public the time to adjust and educate themselves.
But PennDOT officials in 2024 also said the agency needed the 12 months to update its driver’s manual, driver’s tests, and knowledge testing practice app in all available languages.
How widespread is the problem of distracted driving?
Significant enough to prompt a change in the law, obviously, and officials suspect the numbers are higher than reported.
"Distracted driving crash data is believed to be underreported due to many drivers’ reluctance to admit to being distracted at the time of a crash," PennDOT officials say, though the agency also says "the long-term trend is decreasing," with the awareness of Paul Miller's Law believed to be playing a role:
● In 2021, three years before the law was passed, there were 12,703 distracted driving crashes in Pennsylvania, of which 62 were fatal.
● In 2025, the most recent full year available, there were 9,419 crashes involving a distracted driver, resulting in 54 fatalities and 330 suspected serious injuries, PennDOT officials said Friday.
The Washington-based National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that 3,208 people were killed in motor vehicle crashes involving distracted drivers on U.S. roads in 2024, and 315,167 people were injured.
Who was Paul Miller?
Paul Miller Jr. was a Scranton native and a senior at East Stroudsburg University who dreamed of becoming a police officer.
On July 5, 2010, a trucker lost control of his tractor-trailer and crossed the grassy center median on Route 33 in Hamilton Township, Monroe County.
The rig skidded into the northbound lanes, striking the Toyota Miller was driving head-on. Miller, 21, was killed instantly. Several people in a van were also injured.
The truck driver pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in 2013 and served 17 months behind bars.
Eileen Miller vowed from the day her son died that she would fight for a change in the law.
That fight took nearly 15 years.
"This law is for every family in Pennsylvania that doesn't have to experience two state troopers knocking on their door to tell them that their loved one was killed by distracted driving," Miller said last year.
"Paul Miller’s Law will be a beacon of protection for every driver and passenger in Pennsylvania.”
