New PA Cell Phone Law Will Be Enforceable In June

The new Pennsylvania law banning the use of cell phones by drivers will be in full effect starting June 6.

While the law technically went into effect on June 5, 2025, officers were only issuing written warnings over the past year. That changes on June 6.

The law makes it illegal to write or read a text message, browse the Internet, take a photo, or do anything else with your phone while behind the wheel.

It's also known as Paul Miller's law, in honor of a man killed in Monroe County in 2010 by a driver of a tractor trailer who reached for a phone.

Violations will incur a $50 fine, in addition to court costs and other fees.

The law also includes a provision for drivers convicted of homicide by vehicle. If a driver is on their phone or distracted during a fatal crash, they may face an additional five years behind bars.

The law remains in effect even when a vehicle is "temporarily stationary" because of heavy traffic, a traffic light, or a stop sign.

If the phone is in the driver's hand at all, they can be stopped by police. Using the phone is defined as holding it in at least one hand or a "supporting body part."

Drivers who need to use their phone should pull over to the side of the road where they are out of traffic, and put their vehicle in park.

A total of 1,209 victims were killed in crashes in 2023. Distracted driving crashes outstrip even alcohol-related crashes in the state, by a tally of 11,262 to 8,330, the state says.