Enforcement of cellphone ban begins next week
MetroCreative
Starting next week, police officers will be able to pull over drivers who are on their cellphones for any purpose.
June 5 begins the “enforcement period” of Paul Miller’s Law, according to Rocco Gagliardi, spokesperson for state police Troop B. For the next year, police officers can stop drivers caught violating the law and issue a written warning.
Paul Miller, for whom the law is named, was killed July 5, 2010, in Monroe County when a tractor-trailer struck him head-on. The driver of the tractor-trailer had crossed into the opposite lane after reaching for a cellphone.
Pennsylvania already had laws in existence that prevented drivers from activities such as texting, making video calls or watching something on their phone, but the new law goes further.
“This completely black and white says you can’t be holding your phone while driving a vehicle,” Gagliardi said.
He added that means the phone cannot be touching any part of the body, so a driver cannot be using a GPS service while the phone rests in their lap. Drivers will instead have to rely on bluetooth, Apple CarPlay or Android Auto.
Gagliardi recognized that many drivers may not have access to those features, and said they would need to purchase a phone mount to continue using tools like GPS while on the road.
“There are a lot of attachments you can buy,” Gagliardi said. “You can buy those phone mounts and get that mapping system if you need it. They don’t want you holding it with one hand and driving with the other.”
Beginning June 5, 2026, offenders of the law will receive a $50 citation.
However, Gagliardi cautioned against being dismissive of the “warnings only” period.
“You’re still subject to a traffic stop; who knows what else may come out of that,” Gagliardi said.
He gave the example that someone could get a warning for violating the cellphone law, while also getting a citation for careless driving.
“We want you to get to point A and point B and back to Point A again in a safe manner,” Gagliardi said.