Pa. law banning handheld device use while driving takes full effect

Published on March 30 | Updated on June 5

PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A Pennsylvania law is now in full effect that bans the use of handheld cellphones while driving. The Pennsylvania Turnpike said the effort is to get distracted drivers to pay attention behind the wheel.

Paul Miller’s Law, named after a man killed by a distracted truck driver in the Poconos in 2010, outlaws handheld cellphone or mobile device use while driving in Pennsylvania.

Starting June 5, violations will result in $50 fines.

Miller’s mother, Eileen, said it’s not about punishment; it’s about saving lives.

“I never want another parent to have to go to a morgue to try to identify their child by something so preventable as distracted driving,” she said. “My son did not have to die that day. There was no reason for him to die, but somebody’s unsafe choices killed him.”

The law prohibits the use of handheld devices while driving, even if you’re stopped at a red light or crawling in traffic. Drivers can still use their phones to alert authorities in the event of an emergency and use hands-free technology to make phone calls, use a GPS, and listen to music.

Turnpike safety

Drivers might think it’s safe to use a handheld cellphone on the turnpike, an enclosed highway with miles of straight road. They’d be wrong, said Tom Macchione, director of traffic engineering operations at the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission.

“They’re complacent, and they feel like they can now take this risk because there’s nobody around,” he said. “Even if I swerve, I’m not going to hit anybody. But you’re making a lot of assumptions.”

Macchione added that many things can take your attention away from the road.

“Not just the cellphone,” he said, “but it’s paying attention to the scenery. If you’re driving in an area that’s new to you. You’re looking at things outside your car — that can be a distraction, too.”

That’s why the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission has been adding crash cushions, called attenuators, to the back of work trucks, to protect workers from zoned-out drivers. It also installed air horns on work trucks to alert drivers unaware that they’re speeding toward a collision.