Governor Josh Shapiro signed into law a long awaited Senate Bill banning hand-held cell phone usage while driving a motor vehicle, making Pennsylvania the 29th state in the nation to ban distracted driving, according to the PA Gov website.
Senate Bill 37 (SB37), was approved by Shapiro on Wednesday, June 5, 2024. The bill is an amendment to Title 75 (Vehicles).
Click here to see video of the signing.
Before this bill was signed, talking on a hand-held cell phone while driving in the state of Pennsylvania was allowed.
“In 2023, there were more than 11,000 crashes in Pennsylvania that involved a distracted driver,” said PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll. “Driving requires 100% of your attention 100% of the time, and this bill – which I was proud to support as minority chair of the House Transportation Committee – is an important step forward in discouraging distracted driving and keeping everyone safe on the road,” said at the signing.
SB37 allows law enforcement to issue a ticket when a driver uses 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, according to the PA Gov press release.
Senate Bill 37, known as Paul Miller, Jr. Law, is named after 21-year-old Paul Miller Jr. who was tragically killed in a motor vehicle accident with a tractor-trailer in 2010 in Monroe County as the result of a distracted driver who reached for their phone while driving. Since his death, his mother, Eileen Miller, has become a national advocate for stronger laws to curb distracted driving, said in the PA Gov Newsroom.
Photo Credit: https://www.pasenategop.com/
The bill was championed by Senator Rosemary M. Brown, a Republican serving Lackawanna (part), Monroe and Wayne (part) Counties and whose term expires in 2026.
According to Brown in her bill memorandum, the use of mobile phones and other electronic devices while driving has emerged as one of the leading causes of distracted driving crashes and this was the focus of her legislation.
The bill memorandum further said, This legislation aims to remove the device from the driver’s hands and impose the behavior of utilizing technology behind the wheel with stricter deterrents. The purpose of this legislation is to not penalize drivers but to protect innocent drivers, similar to our Driving Under the Influence (DUI) laws. It is unacceptable to have this increased irresponsible driving occurring on our Pennsylvania roadways and not have laws in place to help build public safety.
The Paul Miller, Jr. Law is now in effect as of Wednesday, June 5, 2024, said PA Senate GOP News.
