WILKES-BARRE — It shouldn’t require tougher laws and higher fines to convince drivers to not drive distracted.
Common sense should be enough.
And pictures of scenes like the one attached to this column should be enough to keep you from using your cell phone while driving, or from doing anything that could result in a tragedy.
Common sense.
This week, PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll said distracted driving is not only dangerous but also illegal.
“Your choices behind the wheel can change lives forever,” Carroll said. “This National Distracted Driving Awareness Month, we are asking all drivers to commit to putting the phone away while driving.”
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and the Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) are reminding Pennsylvanians to put down their phones while driving, or they will face a fine starting on June 5.
In 2024, Gov. Josh Shapiro signed Paul Miller’s Law, which prohibits the use of hand-held devices while driving — even while stopped temporarily due to traffic, a red light, or other delays. Drivers can still use their phones to alert authorities in the event of an emergency, and to use hands-free technology to make phone calls, use GPS, and listen to music.
Beginning June 5, drivers convicted of using a hand-held device while driving will pay a $50 fine, plus court costs and other fees.
It’s still not enough, but it’s needed.
Pennsylvania also enforces a texting-while-driving ban that prohibits drivers from using mobile devices to send, read, or write text-based communications while their vehicle is in motion.
Additionally, depending on the circumstances, drivers who violate Paul Miller’s Law or the texting-while-driving ban may also be convicted of Homicide by Vehicle, or Aggravated Assault by Vehicle, and given increased sentences.
The law is named for Paul Miller Jr., who was tragically killed in a crash with a tractor-trailer in 2010 in Monroe County as the result of a distracted driver who reached for their phone while driving.
Since Paul’s death, Eileen Miller — Paul’s mother — has become a national advocate for stronger laws to curb distracted driving.
“Nearly 15 years ago, two Dunmore state troopers knocked on my door to tell me that my son was killed,” Mrs. Miller said. “My son did everything right — he was killed by someone else’s unsafe choices behind the wheel. This law is for every family in Pennsylvania that doesn’t have to experience two state troopers knocking on their door to tell them that their loved one was killed by distracted driving.”
Can we ask for better advice than that from a grieving mother?
This week, AAA is urging drivers to engage in driving and to disengage from distractions. AAA cites more than 3,000 annual deaths nationwide due to completely preventable distracted driving crashes.
Hear that? Completely avoidable.
AAA says it takes only an instant, but the impact can be lifelong. Each year, thousands lose their lives on America’s roadways because a driver is distracted from driving. Maybe it was a text, a call, their vehicle’s controls — even a bite of a burger — but the results proved deadly.
April’s National Distracted Driving Awareness Month underscores AAA’s urgent reminder that staying focused behind the wheel is essential to preventing these entirely avoidable crashes.
“Multi-tasking behind the wheel remains far too common, with many motorists downplaying the potential impacts,” says Jana L. Tidwell, public and government affairs manager, AAA Club Alliance. “But the reality is that distracted drivers recognize the dangers yet selfishly put themselves and others at risk. Behind every statistic is a real person. A few moments of inattentiveness can change lives forever.”
According to data from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), in 2024, there were 9,950 crashes involving distracted drivers, resulting in 49 fatalities and over 6,000 injuries.
These numbers likely understate the problem, as it can be difficult to identify or prove that distraction was a contributing factor in a crash.
A report by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety found that:
• Most drivers perceived scrolling through social media (97%), texting/emailing (94%), or reading on a handheld cell phone (90%) while driving as being extremely or very dangerous.
Yet distracted driving is likely an even greater problem than statistics might suggest. Because of the challenges for law enforcement in determining if distracted driving was the primary factor in a traffic incident, the number of crashes, injuries, and fatalities caused by distraction is believed to be significantly under-reported.
According to NHTSA data, in 2023, there were 3,275 people killed and an additional 324819 people injured in motor vehicle crashes involving distracted drivers.
According to NHTSA, 8% of all fatal crashes, 13% of injury crashes, and 13% of all police-reported motor vehicle traffic crashes were reported as distraction-affected.
We must do better.