Gov. Josh Shapiro signs law, flanked by Eileen Miller and Sen. Rosemary Brown.
After more than a decade of push-pull by lawmakers, Pennsylvania has a hands-free law.
State Sen. Rosemary Brown’s cell phone measure was signed by Gov. Josh Shapiro on June 5.
“I have met too many people with injuries they’ll live with for the rest of their lives because they were hit by a distracted driver,” Shapiro said.
The new law, which targets use of “interactive mobile devices,” calls for a $50 fine and primary enforcement, meaning police can pull over drivers for that offense alone. Hands-free operation is allowed. A 12-month (written) warning period will run through June 2025.
Pennsylvania has a texting & driving law that dates back to 2012, but it is widely seen as ineffectual. Like the new hands-free law, it comes with a $50 fine, but offenders cannot be slapped with two fines.
Senate Bill 37 is also known as Paul Miller’s law. Miller, 21, was killed in a 2010 crash linked to a distracted truck driver. His mother attended the signing: “I got it done, Paul, I did it,” Eileen Miller said.
Sen. Brown, who also attended, said, “Never did I realize that getting the cell phone out of the hands of a driver would be so difficult in the legislative process.” The former representative made repeated unsuccessful runs at a Pennsylvania hands-free law beginning in 2017 and lobbied for others’ bills before that.
“This bill is more than legislation,” Brown said at the signing. “It is a reminder of the power of perseverance and the impact we can have when we prioritize public safety.”
Distracted driving was the leading cause of car crashes in Pennsylvania in 2023, with traffic deaths rising by 2.25 percent compared with 2022, according to PennDOT’s annual crash information report.
View the Pennsylvania distracted driving law page.
