By Susan Shapiro
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LANCASTER, Pennsylvania (WGAL) — April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said 3,275 people were killed in 2023 by distracted driving.
Distracted driving is any activity that takes attention away from driving, such as talking on the phone, texting, eating, or adjusting music.
In this episode of WGAL 8 In Focus, we zero in on the dangers of distracted driving, and talk to a mother who lost her son and pushed for legislation to save lives, along with other groups working to make Pennsylvania roads safer.
Eileen Miller’s story
Eileen Miller’s son Paul Miller Jr. was killed on July 5, 2010, when a tractor-trailer driver reached for his cell phone, lost control, and crashed into his car.
Miller described her son as a wonderful young man who was loved by everyone who met him. He was known for his smile, loved helping people, and had always wanted to become a police officer.
Eileen said she believed 100 percent that he would have achieved his dream. He was just 21 years old.
The crash
Miller said Paul had gone to a party at ESU after working at Gerrity’s and told his family he would be back later. The next morning, while she was preparing for a party at her home, she said she had a gut feeling that something was wrong.
While sitting on the front porch, she saw two state troopers pull up. She said she immediately knew it involved her son. The troopers asked questions about his car, where he might have been, and identifying marks on his body. Eventually, they told her that her son had been tragically killed that morning.
She said the crash was not Paul’s fault. According to her account, a semi-truck driver crossed three lanes, went through a grassy median, hit Paul head-on, and pushed his car into an embankment. A van carrying 12 people then struck the tractor-trailer. Paul was the only person killed at the scene.
Learning it was distracted driving
Miller said she did not initially know the crash had been caused by distracted driving. She went to the morgue and later learned, after crash reconstruction, that the truck driver had been reaching from one phone to another that was jammed under his seat.
She said she promised at her son’s side that she would find out what caused the crash and fight to change it. Her son had done everything right and someone else’s actions had caused his death.
Miller said she was originally told the driver would only receive probation, but she fought for a stronger sentence. She said the driver had also received another citation in New Jersey for phone use after killing her son, as well as another unsafe driving citation.
The judge ultimately rejected the plea deal and sentenced him to one to three years in prison. He served 17 months. After his release, Miller said she met with him and that he admitted he had been distracted.
The fight for Paul Miller’s Law
Miller said her push for legislation began with the promise she made at the morgue. She said no one should lose a loved one over something so preventable.
She began contacting representatives and going to the Capitol to advocate for a law that would ban holding a phone while driving. She noted that Pennsylvania already had a texting law, but said it was difficult to enforce because officers could not easily tell whether someone was texting, scrolling, or doing something else on a phone. In her son’s case, the driver had not been texting.
She said many people did not want to support the legislation. Some objected on personal freedom grounds, while others did not want to give up phone use themselves. She also said some lawmakers wanted data to ensure enforcement would not lead to profiling, which she said she understood.
Miller said it took 14 years for the legislation to pass. She credited Pennsylvania State Sen. Rosemary Brown with helping move it forward after hearing her story.
Pride and frustration
Miller said she was extremely proud that the law was finally in place because her son’s legacy would help save lives and make Pennsylvania roads safer. At the same time, she said it was painful that she had lost her son to get there.
She also said the law was not as strong as she would have liked. In her view, the best option was for drivers to turn their phones off completely while driving and set navigation before getting on the road.
She stressed that under the law, drivers could not use a handheld phone even while stopped in traffic, at a stop sign, or at a red light. She said drivers had to pull off the road to make a call, though hands-free options such as Bluetooth or speakerphone were still allowed. Drivers could not hold or support a phone with any part of their body.
Advocacy on the road
Miller said she has remained active as an advocate. When she saw people using their phones while driving, she sometimes approaches them afterward and gives them a hands-free device. She tells them they do not want to kill someone else or themselves and urges them to drive safely.
She said her goal from the first day had been to prevent the same tragedy from happening to anyone else.
Law enforcement perspective
Pennsylvania State Police Trooper James Grothey, who is the public information officer for PSP Troop J, said distracted driving causes more crashes than impaired driving and that distractions happen constantly throughout the day.
While cell phones are a major source of distraction, he said anything that takes a driver’s eyes off the road counts, including reaching for objects, doing hair or makeup, dealing with children in the back seat, or looking at crashes on the side of the road.
Grothey said people cannot truly focus on two things at once and that driving requires full attention. He said this was especially important for teenagers, who already have to process speed limits, traffic signals, nearby vehicles, and other roadway conditions.
Enforcing the law
Grothey said that under Paul Miller’s Law, if police see someone holding a device, they could stop that driver without needing any other violation. Beginning June 5, officers can issue citations.
He said the base fine is $50, but with court costs, the total would likely be around $180 to $200. He added that violations could affect a driver’s record, insurance, and even employment opportunities, particularly for jobs involving driving.
He said professional drivers should be held to a higher standard, just as law enforcement officers were. He also noted that even hands-free conversations could still be distracting if the driver’s attention shifted away from the road.
Grothey said the law was long overdue.
AAA’s perspective
Doni Lee Fox is the public relations manager for AAA Central Penn.
Fox said AAA worked to stay at the forefront of traffic safety issues by studying the problem, gathering statistics, and helping inform lobbyists, policymakers, automakers, and others in the traffic safety field.
Fox said the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety conducted an annual Traffic Safety Culture Index survey. The most recent results showed that 90 to 97 percent of drivers admitted it was dangerous to text, read emails, or take phone calls while driving. Yet 27 to 39 percent also admitted doing those things anyway.
She said the numbers were staggering and showed that more education is needed.
Changing driver behavior
Fox said publicizing the statistics and strengthening laws are part of changing driver behavior. She said AAA had supported Paul Miller’s Law and viewed the handheld ban as an important step, even if it had come later than in some other states.
She said many people were in a hurry and found it hard to put the phone down. Her advice was to give extra time before driving to set GPS, adjust the radio, handle climate controls, and get children settled before getting on the road.
She also highlighted the “Slow down, move over” message, noting that roadside workers, emergency responders, and stranded drivers all needed space and protection.
Fox said distracted driving deaths are heartbreaking and preventable. She urged drivers to put their phones away, turn off notifications, prepare the car before driving, and model safe behavior for younger passengers.
Final reminders
Paul Miller’s Law took effect on June 5, 2025. Drivers received warnings for the previous year. The law made handheld phone use while driving a primary offense, meaning police could stop drivers solely for having a mobile device in hand. Texting and cell phone use has become the most common form of distracted driving. Texting while driving is illegal in 49 states, including Pennsylvania, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. According to the Pennsylvania court system, more than 9,000 offenses were reported between 2021 and 2025 in Pennsylvania. Drivers in their 20s and 30s were the most common offenders, and violations peaked between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. For 2025 in the Susquehanna Valley, York County had the most distracted driving offenses with 102, followed by Lancaster, Dauphin, Franklin, Cumberland, Lebanon, Adams, and Perry counties. Juniata and Mifflin counties had no reported distracted driving offenses in 2025.
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