Pennsylvania State Police just issued hundreds of tickets to enforce a new ban on handheld cell phone use while driving

The Pennsylvania State Police gave out nearly 700 tickets and more than 300 warnings just days after a new law banning handheld device use was fully implemented.

Pennsylvania became one of the last states to have such a ban when Gov. Josh Shapiro signed the new law two years ago in June 2024. But the rule wasn’t implemented until June 2025, and it came with a one-year warning period. So police haven’t been able to ticket drivers for the law until just over a week ago.

To mark the occasion, state police conducted Operation Hands Off from Monday to Wednesday, cracking down on the new rule, which carries a $50 fine. The department touted the mission as “highly successful” with 694 traffic citations and 308 warnings related to the new law. They also issued 6,013 other traffic citations, 4,090 other warnings, and 98 DUI arrests during the three-day period.

The state police issued 1,616 warnings during the one-year warning period from June 5 2025-2026 for the new law.

It’s named Paul Miller’s Law, to honor Paul Miller Jr., who was killed in 2010 after a tractor-trailer driver crashed into him.

“Nearly 15 years ago, two Dunmore state troopers knocked on my door to tell me that my son was killed,” Miller’s mother Eileen Miller said in an April statement. “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.”

Texting while driving had already been banned in Pennsylvania, but the new law encompasses all sorts of uses like taking photos, playing games, sending emails, scrolling on social media, or talking on the phone while holding it.

The law states that holding a phone or dialing or answering a phone by pressing more than one button are not allowed. Drivers can still use hands-free technology for uses like phone calls, navigation, and music.

There are no exceptions for sitting in traffic or at a red light — but there is an exception for contacting law enforcement in an emergency.

Shapiro’s administration suggests drivers pull over and park in a safe location if it’s urgent, ask a passenger to be a “designated texter,” use the “Do Not Disturb” feature while driving to silence notifications, or place their phone somewhere inaccessible.