Pennsylvania is now the 29th state in the nation to ban the use of hand-held devices while driving.

Gov. Josh Shapiro on Thursday signed Senate Bill 37 known as Paul Miller’s Law — into law, prohibiting the use of hand-held devices while driving.

The law allows police to issue a ticket when a driver uses a cellphone while driving. Drivers can still use their phones to alert emergency responders and to make phone calls, use a GPS, and listen to music if they are using hands-free technology.

“I have met too many people with injuries they’ll live with for the rest of their lives because they were hit by a distracted driver — and too many families that have an empty seat at the dinner table because of distracted driving,” Shapiro said. “This common sense, bipartisan legislation — passed and signed into law in honor of Paul Miller’s legacy — empowers our state and local police to stop distracted driving and make our roads and communities safer.”

Paul Miller Jr. was tragically killed in a motor vehicle accident with a tractor-trailer in 2010 in Monroe County as the result of a distracted driver who reached for their phone while driving, according to Shapiro’s office. Since Paul Miller’s death, his mother Eileen Miller has become a national advocate for stronger laws to curb distracted driving.

“Two Dunmore state troopers came knocking on my door to tell me that my son was killed, I did not know it was distracted driving at the time,” she said. “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.”

The law requires police to collect data on drivers pulled over during traffic stops, including race, ethnicity and gender for accountability purposes. The data will be made publicly available in an annual report.

“Limiting distractions while behind the wheel makes Pennsylvania’s road safer for everyone,” said Col. Christopher Paris, state police commissioner. “Eliminating the handling of cellphones while driving will certainly reduce the number of crashes and save lives.”

In 2023, distracted driving was the leading cause of car crashes in Pennsylvania with traffic deaths rising by 2.25% compared to 2022, according to PennDOT’s annual crash information report. The report showed 1,209 deaths in motor vehicle crashes, up from 1,179 in the prior year. There were more than 11,262 distracted driving crashes in 2023, compared to 8,330 alcohol-related crashes.