By Juliana Morello, Pittsburgh Latino Magazine

The governor of Pennsylvania, Josh Shapiro, has signed a bill into law on Wednesday, June 5, which will prohibit the use of hand-held devices while driving. It will go into effect a year after the signing.

Senate Bill 37 allows law enforcement to issue tickets when drivers are using their cellphones while driving, and even while stopped in traffic or at red lights. If using hands-free technology, such as Bluetooth or a docking station, drivers can still use their GPS, make calls, and listen to music. There are also provisions in the bill for emergency calls.

Also known as Paul Miller’s Law, the bill makes Pennsylvania the 29th state in the United States to ban distracted driving. It is named for Paul Miller Jr., who was killed tragically in a motor vehicle accident by a distracted driver in 2010. His mother, Eileen Miller, has since become an advocate against distracted driving.

“This is for every family that is in Pennsylvania that doesn’t have to have two state troopers knocking on their door to tell them that their loved one was killed by something so preventable as distracted driving,” said Eileen Miller.

According to the PA Turnpike, 3,522 people were killed by distracted driving in 2021. It is one of the leading causes of car crashes in Pennsylvania.

Some representatives worried that the bill may make it easier for minority groups to be targeted by police during traffic stops. It was therefore amended to require large police departments and the Pennsylvania State Police to track the demographics of the drivers they pull over. The data they collect must include the driver’s race, ethnicity, and gender, in addition to the reason for the stop. Law enforcement serving municipalities with populations under 5,000 are exempt from this requirement. The data collected will be publicly available in an annual report.

Governor Shapiro advocated for the amendment with the Legislative Black Caucus, in order to ensure that all Pennsylvanians feel safe on the road.

“I’ve met too many families that have an empty seat at the dinner table because of distracted driving,” said Shapiro in an interview with WILK-FM. “I’ve met too many people with injuries that they’re going to live with for the rest of their lives because they were hit by a distracted motorist.”

Juliana Morello is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh and one of 10 Pittsburgh Media Partnership summer interns. Juliana is interning with Pittsburgh Latino Magazine.