Starting June 5, a new law goes into effect prohibiting drivers from using a hand-held device while driving, even while stopped at a stop light. Paul Miller’s Law allows law enforcement to issue a ticket when a driver uses their hands to use a cell phone while driving.

Drivers can still use their phones to alert emergency responders and to make phone calls, use a GPS, and listen to music, if they are using hands-free technology.

Drivers using their hands to use their device will receive a written warning during the first 12 months. Starting June 5, 2026, the penalty is a summary offense with a $50 fine, plus court costs and other fees.

Can I check my phone at a red light? 
No. Pennsylvania law defines driving as operating a motor vehicle on a highway, including when stopped at a red light, stop sign or a traffic back up.

Will they take my phone?
The law does not authorize seizure of an interactive wireless device.

Senate Bill 37, signed by Governor Josh Shapiro last year, is named Paul Miller’s Law after Paul Miller Jr. who was killed in an accident caused by a man driving tractor trailer. The distracted driver reached for a cell phone that had fallen under the seat. The accident happened in 2010 on Route 33 in Monroe County. Paul Miller’s parents, Eileen and Paul Miller, have advocated for the safety reform for years.

“This is for every family that is in Pennsylvania that doesn't have to have two state troopers knocking on their door to tell them that their loved one was killed by something so preventable as distracted driving,” Eileen Miller said in the announcement of Governor Shapiro signing the bill.

In 2023, distracted driving was the leading cause of car crashes in Pennsylvania with traffic deaths rising by 2.25% compared to 2022, according to PennDOT’s annual crash information report. The report showed 1,209 deaths in motor vehicle crashes, up from 1,179 in the prior year. There were more than 11,262 distracted driving crashes in 2023, compared to 8,330 alcohol-related crashes.