A New Tool for Justice: How Paul Miller’s Law Affects Distracted Driving Injury Claims

The tragic consequences of distracted driving have been a painful reality on Pennsylvania’s roads for far too long. A single, thoughtless moment of reaching for a phone can alter lives forever. Now, a new law is taking effect that targets one of the most common forms of distraction, and in doing so, it provides a clearer path to justice for victims injured in these specific types of crashes.

Effective June 5, 2025, “Paul Miller’s Law” creates a new standard for driver accountability in Pennsylvania. This law represents an important change that can directly strengthen personal injury claims where a crash was caused by a driver holding a cell phone. While it won’t affect every accident case, for those that fall under its scope, it can be a vital tool for establishing fault and recovering the compensation the injured person deserves.

What Exactly Does Paul Miller’s Law Prohibit?

The strength of Paul Miller’s Law lies in its clear and direct mandate. It makes it a primary offense for any driver to use a hand-held mobile device while operating their vehicle on a public road.

This means:

• No Holding a Phone While Driving: Drivers are now prohibited from holding a mobile device in their hand for any purpose while the vehicle is in motion.
• This Includes Temporary Stops: The ban remains in effect even when a vehicle is momentarily stopped for a traffic light, stop sign, or other delay. To use a hand-held device legally, a driver must pull their vehicle over to a safe, stationary position off the highway.
• Hands-Free Use is the Only Option: Making calls, using GPS, or listening to music is still permitted, but only if it is accomplished through a truly hands-free technology like Bluetooth or a dashboard-mounted system.

This important safety measure was inspired by a preventable tragedy. In 2010, 21-year-old Paul Miller, Jr., was killed when a distracted tractor-trailer driver, reaching for his phone, crashed into Paul’s car. His mother, Eileen Miller, fought tirelessly for this law, hoping to spare other families from the same type of devastating loss.

How a Violation of This Law Can Strengthen a Car Accident Injury Claim in Pennsylvania

The official penalty for a violation is a $50 fine after a one-year warning period, but the law’s true power is wielded within the context of a civil personal injury lawsuit. In cases where a driver causes an accident while holding a cell phone, this new law can make it significantly easier to prove their negligence.

To win a personal injury case, the injured person must prove the at-fault driver was negligent. This means showing they failed to operate their vehicle with reasonable care, and this failure caused the crash. Paul Miller’s Law provides a clear benchmark for what constitutes a lack of reasonable care in these types of cases.

This is accomplished through a legal principle known as negligence per se. In Pennsylvania, if someone violates a statute that was designed to protect public safety, that violation can be presented as proof of their negligence.

For a claim involving this specific fact pattern, the implications are significant:

• A Clearer Path to Proving Fault: If it can be established that the driver who caused the crash was holding their phone, their violation of Paul Miller’s Law serves as powerful evidence that they were negligent.
• Countering Defense Arguments: The violation makes it much harder for the at-fault driver’s insurance company to argue that their client was driving safely or to try and shift blame onto the victim.
• Focusing on Fair Compensation: By using the violation to clearly establish who was at fault, the case can focus more on ensuring you receive full and fair compensation for your medical treatments, lost income, and pain and suffering.

Evidence of a violation can be gathered from police reports, statements from witnesses who saw the driver holding the phone, traffic or dashboard camera footage, and potentially from cell phone records requested during the legal process.

A Vital Law for a Specific Danger

While this law will not apply to the majority of car accident claims, its importance cannot be understated for those it does affect. Distracted driving has been a factor in thousands of crashes annually in Pennsylvania. Paul Miller’s Law now provides an unambiguous, enforceable standard for one of the most dangerous forms of this behavior.

By making the simple act of holding a phone a primary offense, the law gives law enforcement a tool to intervene before a crash happens. And for car crash injury victims, it gives them a clearer path to hold negligent drivers fully accountable when they fail to follow the new law.

If a Distracted Driver Injured You in Pennsylvania, Know Your Rights

If you or a member of your family has been hurt in a car accident in Pennsylvania, determining the cause is a critical first step. If you have reason to believe the other driver was on their phone, it is important to work with a legal team that understands the significance of Paul Miller’s Law and knows how to use it effectively.

The experienced attorneys at Caroselli, Beachler & Coleman are committed to helping victims of negligence navigate the legal system and secure the resources they need to recover. With several decades of experience successfully representing accident injury victims, we are prepared to investigate every detail of your crash to build the strongest case possible.

To discuss the specifics of your case, please call our office at 412-391-9860 for a free, no-obligation consultation. Let us help you understand your options and pursue the justice you deserve.