If you were hit by a driver who was holding a phone, Pennsylvania law is now squarely on your side in a way it wasn’t before. Paul Miller’s Law made handheld phone use behind the wheel a primary offense in Pennsylvania — and since June 5, 2026, the warnings are over and the fines have started. For crash victims, that citation can matter well beyond the $50 ticket.
What Paul Miller’s Law Actually Prohibits
Paul Miller’s Law, Act 18 of 2024, bans holding or using a handheld device while driving in Pennsylvania. Two things about it surprise people. First, it applies even when the vehicle isn’t moving — if you’re stopped at a red light with your phone in your hand, you’re violating the law. Sitting in traffic is still driving. Second, it’s a primary offense, which means a police officer can pull a driver over for the phone violation alone, without needing any other reason for the stop.
The law took effect June 5, 2025, but the legislature built in a 12-month grace period during which officers issued warnings only. That period ended June 5, 2026. Since then, a violation carries a $50 fine plus court costs. For non-commercial drivers there are no license points, so the ticket itself is not the heaviest penalty on the road — but as you’ll see below, the ticket is not the whole story.
The law also has a serious edge for the worst cases: a distracted driver convicted of homicide by vehicle faces up to five additional years in prison. And the underlying problem is real — PennDOT’s 2024 data counted 9,950 distracted-driving crashes and 49 deaths in Pennsylvania in a single year.
Why the Citation Matters in Your Injury Claim
Here’s the part most crash victims don’t hear about. In a personal injury claim, the question is who was negligent — who failed to use reasonable care. A driver who was holding a phone at the moment of a crash has handed you evidence. A citation under Paul Miller’s Law, or phone records showing handheld use at the time of the collision, is independent evidence of negligence that doesn’t depend on anyone’s version of events.
That matters because crash cases often turn into word-against-word disputes: the other driver says the light was green, says you stopped suddenly, says they never saw you. Phone records and a distracted-driving citation cut through that. They can also matter when an insurance company tries to shift part of the blame onto you to reduce what it pays — documented phone use by the other driver is a powerful answer.
To be clear about what this law doesn’t do: it doesn’t guarantee you win, and it doesn’t put a dollar figure on your claim. Distraction still has to be connected to the crash, and insurance companies will still argue about everything else. But it gives your lawyer one more concrete, provable fact to build on.
What This Means for You
If you’ve been in a crash in Northeastern Pennsylvania and you believe — or even suspect — the other driver was on a phone, say so early. Tell the police officer at the scene what you saw. Mention it to your lawyer at the first consultation, not the fifth, because phone records and citations are far easier to obtain and preserve when nobody waits. If the other driver was cited at the scene, that paperwork becomes part of your file from day one.
And if you’re the one who drives around Wilkes-Barre, Scranton, and the rest of NEPA every day: put the phone down, including at red lights. A $50 ticket is the least of what handheld use can cost you now.
Injured by a Distracted Driver? Let’s Talk
Call the Law Offices of Jason P. Provinzano, LLC at 570-822-5771 for a free consultation at 16 W. Northampton Street in Wilkes-Barre. Bring the crash report if you have it, and tell us if the other driver was on a phone — we’ll explain how that evidence can strengthen your claim.
This article is general information about Pennsylvania personal injury law, not legal advice about your specific situation.
