Latest news with #EileenMiller
CBS News
6 hours ago
- Health
- CBS News
After Paul Miller's death, his mom Eileen explains how a new Pennsylvania distracted driving bill will save lives
Eileen Miller has spent the last 12 years fighting for legislation that will keep drivers off their cell phones — it takes effect in Pennsylvania on Thursday, June 5. "Paul Miller's Law" bans Pennsylvania drivers from using handheld devices, including cell phones, while operating a vehicle. The law allows police officers to pull someone over solely for using their phone, including at red lights or stop signs. The new law is named for Paul Miller, Jr., a Scranton man who died in July 2010 after a tractor-trailer driver, who was reaching for his cell phone, lost control and crashed into Miller's car. The law finally going into effect completes a long journey for Eileen. "It was like finally, finally!" Miller said. "Twelve years of hard fighting, and we finally got it." The law's passing fulfilled a promise she made to her son when she went to the morgue to identify his body. "It was, and still is to this day, the longest, darkest, deepest walk of my life," Miller said. "He was so broken, into a million pieces." Before she left the morgue, Miller whispered into her son's ear. "When I find out what caused this crash, and I will find out," Miller recalled, "I would fight for change." Despite more than a decade of legislative struggles, Miller refused to give up because she didn't want another parent to experience her pain. "I don't want any parent to ever have to go to a morgue to identify their child by something so preventable," Miller said. "I know that this piece of legislation is going to save lives, and that was most important thing." The law allows some exceptions for drivers, such as calling 911 to report an emergency or if a driver paired their cell phone with Bluetooth or CarPlay. Police officers can only give drivers written warnings until June 5, 2026, when officers will then be allowed to hand out $50 citations. However, Miller said that total will likely climb to more than $100 after court costs and administrative fees are added to the fine.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Pennsylvania's distracted driving law soon takes effect: This Week in Pennsylvania
(WHTM) – On This Week in Pennsylvania, Dennis Owens highlights a new law that will affect drivers across Pennsylvania. Eileen Miller lost her 21-year-old son, Paul, to a distracted tractor-trailer driver. After years of advocating for change, 'Paul Miller's Law' will go into effect on June 5, 2025. The law prohibits the use of handheld devices while driving or stopped at a stoplight. Pennsylvanians who violate this law will be fined $50. Eileen Miller joins This Week in Pennsylvania to discuss the new law and what's next in her mission against distracted driving. Every week, This Week in Pennsylvania gives a comprehensive look at the week's biggest news events in Pennsylvania, provided by the abc27 News team, along with the latest updates on local stories. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Check your local listings for weekly air times. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Officials remind drivers to put down the phone; Paul Miller's Law to take effect June 5
May 27—WILKES-BARRE — Paul Miller's Law is about saving lives, PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll said on Tuesday. "Your choices behind the wheel can change lives forever," he said. "Make the safe choice. Put your phone out of reach and don't text and drive. One text, one glance down — it could kill someone. And it's not worth it." On Tuesday, in keeping with Gov. Josh Shapiro's commitment to safety on Pennsylvania roads, the Shapiro Administration urged drivers to put down the phone while driving, ahead of the June 5 effective date for Paul Miller's Law, which makes it illegal to use a hand-held cell phone while driving. The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), Pennsylvania State Police (PSP), Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PA Turnpike), and Pennsylvania Insurance Department (PID) joined Sen. Rosemary Brown and national advocate Paul Miller Sr. and Eileen Miller, Paul Miller Jr.'s parents, to urge drivers to make safe choices behind the wheel. As part of his mission to provide a safe transportation system for all Pennsylvanians, Gov. Shapiro signed Senate Bill 37 into law on June 5, 2024. Effective June 5, 2025, the law — known as "Paul Miller's Law" — prohibits the use of hand-held devices while driving, even while stopped temporarily due to traffic, a red light, or other momentary delay. Pennsylvania already enforces a texting-while-driving ban that prohibits drivers from using mobile devices to send, read, or write text-based communications while their vehicle is in motion. Beginning June 5, law enforcement will begin issuing written warnings for violations of Senate Bill 37. Law enforcement will have the ability to issue summary citations to violators beginning June 6, 2026. Under Paul Miller's Law, drivers can still use their phones to alert emergency responders and, if they are using hands-free technology, to make phone calls, use a GPS, and listen to music. "As the Prime-Sponsor of Senate Bill 37, now Act 18 of 2024, seeing this law go into effect is incredibly rewarding knowing it will save lives," said Sen. Brown, R-Monroe County. "Since day one I have always believed in this commonsense policy. It's important that drivers remember that the cellphone has become the most consistent, repetitive, and lengthy distraction behind the driver's wheel causing significant public safety concerns. This law will change behaviors and save lives. The legislature passed Senate Bill 37, now Act 18, with overwhelming bi-partisan support, and I am confident that my efforts, along with the efforts of my friend Eileen Miller, have Pennsylvania going in the right direction for public safety." The law is named for Paul Miller Jr., who was tragically killed in a crash with a tractor-trailer in 2010 in Monroe County, as the result of a distracted driver who reached for their phone while driving. Since his death, Paul's mother Eileen Miller has become a national advocate for stronger laws to curb distracted driving. "Nearly 15 years ago, two Dunmore state troopers knocked on my door to tell me that my son was killed," said Eileen Miller, Paul Miller Jr.'s mother. "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. Paul Miller's Law will be a beacon of protection for every driver and passenger in Pennsylvania." Paul Miller's Law will also work to prevent bias in policing by requiring law enforcement to collect data on drivers pulled over during traffic stops, including race, ethnicity, and gender. The data will be made publicly available in an annual report. "The Pennsylvania State Police will enforce the new law to its full extent," said PSP Commissioner Colonel Christopher Paris. "Distracted driving is not a minor offense. Just one second of inattention can result in irreversible consequences. We urge all drivers to stay focused behind the wheel." According to PennDOT data, in 2024 there were 9,950 crashes involving a distracted driver, resulting in more than 6,000 injuries and 49 fatalities. Distracted driving crash data, however, is believed to be under-reported due to many drivers' reluctance to admit to being distracted at the time of a crash. Safe driving tips —If you are expecting a text message or need to send one that can't wait, pull over and park your car in a safe location before using your device. —Ask a passenger to be your "designated texter." Allow them access to your phone to respond to calls or messages. —Do not engage in social media scrolling or messaging while driving. —Cell phone use is habit-forming. Struggling to not text and drive? Activate your phone's "Do Not Disturb" feature, silence notifications, or put your phone in the trunk, glove box or back seat of your vehicle until you arrive at your destination. Cell phone use is not the only distraction while driving. Anything that takes your attention away from driving, your eyes off the road, or your hands off the wheel is a distraction. Driver behavior is the leading factor in 83% of the crashes that occur annually in Pennsylvania. These behaviors include driving distracted, impaired or aggressive. For information on distracted driving, visit PennDOT's media resources web page offers social media-sized graphics for numerous transportation-related campaigns, including safety topics such as aggressive driving, speeding, distracted driving and seat belts for organizations, community groups, or others who share safety information with their stakeholders. Find PennDOT news on X, Facebook, and Instagram. Reach Bill O'Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Pennsylvania law prohibiting use of handheld devices while driving goes into effect next week
(WHTM) — A new law making it illegal to use a handheld device while driving goes into effect in Pennsylvania next week. Paul Miller's Law, which goes into effect on June 5, 2025, prohibits the use of handheld devices while driving or stopped at a stoplight. Pennsylvanians who violate this law will be fined $50. The new law is a bittersweet triumph for a Monroe County mother. The fourth of July will be the 15th anniversary of the day Eileen Miller lost her 21-year-old son, Paul, to a distracted tractor-trailer driver. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Eileen vowed from the morgue to work for change. That change will come next Thursday, when it will be illegal to have a handheld device while driving. Hands-free technology, including Bluetooth, will still be legal, and so will emergency calls. 'It was a long, hard road, but I'm very grateful for all the people that helped me get where I am today,' said Eileen. 'You want to get that phone out of your hand. That's the most important thing. I know that Paul's legacy now will save lives on our roads, and that was always my main goal.' Some states, including New Jersey and New York, have even bigger fines and much less tolerance for the offense, but Eileen Miller said this is a good start. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Yahoo
Adoption of red light cameras slow in Pennsylvania even though they save lives
Spotlight PA reported this story as part of The Road Ahead, an ongoing project by on traffic and transportation issues in Lehigh and Northampton Counties. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — All Pennsylvania municipalities would be allowed to install red light cameras aimed at making intersections safer under a proposal that will be introduced as soon as this summer. At the moment, just Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and a handful of other places in the commonwealth are allowed to use them. But even among that group, only a few have installed cameras despite evidence the devices reduce fatal crashes. Pittsburgh is in the process of adding cameras to its most dangerous intersections, though it's run into issues finding a vendor. Smaller municipalities struggle to meet the state's requirements to get such a program off the ground, one expert told Spotlight PA. With many issues competing for state lawmakers' attention, it remains to be seen if expanding red light cameras will rise to the top of the agenda this session. But for supporters like Eileen Miller, the issue feels pressing. Miller's son, Paul, was killed in a distracted driving crash in 2010, and she has spent much of her time since thinking about safe driving laws. In particular, she pushed for a bill banning the use of cell phones while operating a motor vehicle. It passed last year after more than a decade of advocacy. Between budget negotiations and elections, Miller told Spotlight PA she only had a 'short period' each year where she felt the legislature had the attention span to pass the law. 'I constantly had to be down there session after session, reminding them, emailing them,' Miller told Spotlight PA. 'Sometimes you have to be a bit aggressive.' Efforts to expand automatic traffic enforcement have progressed in fits and starts. Lawmakers passed a bill creating a pilot program for red light cameras in Philadelphia more than two decades ago. A handful were installed along Roosevelt Boulevard, one of the deadliest roads in the city. The legislature later allowed Pittsburgh and larger municipalities that meet certain standards to use the cameras. Now, state Rep. Ed Neilson (D., Philadelphia) wants all municipalities to have the option. He plans to introduce a bill as soon as this summer, he told Spotlight PA. That legislation would also make red light camera programs permanent. Currently, programs in Philadelphia and other commonwealth locations will expire in July 2027 unless the legislature acts. Neilson has had success with traffic safety bills before. He sponsored a bill, which became law, that permits Philadelphia to pilot automatic speed enforcement cameras in some school zones. The city was already allowed to use speed cameras on roads including Roosevelt Boulevard, where speeding and crashes resulting in serious or fatal injuries have declined since 2020. The law also made permanent the use of speed cameras in highway work zones. While these kinds of measures don't typically garner much opposition, they do hit roadblocks. State Rep. Napoleon Nelson (D., Montgomery), chair of the Legislative Black Caucus, said he generally supports enforcement cameras. But he thinks they must include data collection provisions that ensure people of color aren't disproportionately targeted. When lawmakers were trying to pass the bill banning cell phones while driving, a version that didn't mandate racial data collection failed after the Legislative Black Caucus opposed it. Neilson chairs his chamber's Transportation Committee, through which the bill would need to pass before it goes to the full state House. Leaders in the state House and Senate either declined to comment on the proposal or said they would review it once it is introduced. There is evidence that red light cameras make roads safer. A 2016 study of programs in 79 U.S. cities including Philadelphia by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety — a nonprofit funded by insurance companies and industry backers — found the cameras reduced the rate of all types of fatal crashes at intersections with signals by 14%. Wen Hu, a researcher for the institute, told Spotlight PA that red light and speed cameras have 'proven effective in changing drivers' behaviors, reducing crashes, and injuries and fatalities caused by crashes.' The Philadelphia Parking Authority primarily tracks the efficacy of the city's more than 100 red light cameras by seeing whether violations decrease at monitored intersections. If violations go down, that means knowing cameras are present prompts drivers to be safer, the idea goes. This metric has shown mixed results. In a 2024 report, the authority said roughly half of the 34 locations with cameras have seen violations decrease since they were first installed. The other half had seen increases. In total, the authority issued 39% more violations when comparing fiscal years 2023 and 2024. It attributed the increase to several factors, including the installation of more cameras, improvements to the cameras' recording abilities, and worsening driver behavior, such as cell phone distraction. Still, some of the improvements were significant. Red light cameras at the intersection of Grant Avenue and Roosevelt Boulevard in Northeast Philadelphia, recorded 25,111 infractions in fiscal year 2006 and 6,150 in fiscal year 2024. The cameras have 'demonstrated substantial effectiveness in improving traffic safety and compliance,' the authority wrote. Red light cameras have opponents, including Jay Beeber, executive director of the National Motorists Association. The group opposes automated traffic enforcement and speed enforcement by radar, and supports generally higher speed limits. Beeber argued that traffic cameras do not solve underlying problems, which he says are poor traffic engineering in areas that have high levels of speeding, drivers running red lights, and car crashes. He thinks the data reported by the Philadelphia Parking Authority are 'cherry-picked.' The report shows only the number of violations that occurred after the cameras were installed, he said, not the number of violations before the cameras' implementation. 'If the numbers were already going down and then the cameras go in and the numbers continue to go down, then the cameras had no impact,' Beeber said. The commonwealth currently allows red light cameras in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and municipalities that have at least 20,000 residents, an accredited police department, and are located in a large county that meets certain standards. As of 2017, 15 places met the latter definition. Just four municipalities outside of Philadelphia had installed red light cameras as of April 2024, according to PennDOT — Abington and Montgomery Townships in Montgomery County, and Bensalem and Warrington Townships in Bucks County. Bristol Township in Bucks County approved their usage last December. While there's a significant price tag, governments make that money back from fines, set at $100 under state law. In fiscal year 2024, Philadelphia generated $32 million in revenue from these violations. Some of that pays for the cameras. Most goes to PennDOT, which reallocates the money to counties through grants for 'improving safety, enhancing mobility, and reducing congestion.' The slow adoption of the cameras appears to be logistical. Pittsburgh City Council first voted to install red light cameras in 2013, but the city didn't follow through and the ordinance expired in 2017. Last year, the city adopted a 'Vision Zero' strategy in the hopes of eliminating all traffic fatalities, and the council voted to move forward again with red light cameras as part of that initiative. But in February, WPXI reported that only one company had bid to install and operate the cameras. New bids are due in April. A staffer for a council member told Spotlight PA the new request has produced more bids. Vendors, they said, didn't initially apply due to a lack of details such as where the cameras would be located. Current requirements also make it hard for smaller municipalities to take part, said Amy Sturges of the Pennsylvania Municipal League, a nonprofit that advocates for small cities and towns. The process involves seeking approval for a plan from PennDOT and finding a vendor to install the cameras. The local police department must also seek accreditation from the Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association, which Sturges called 'lengthy, time-consuming, and expensive.' Sturges said neither she nor the municipalities she works with oppose automatic enforcement programs. She said some have expressed interest because the state does not permit speed enforcement radar devices. 'Local police departments' current tools for speed enforcement are very limited,' Sturges said. 'Red light cameras are another option that some communities would be able to use.' If you learned something from this article, pay it forward and contribute to Spotlight PA at Spotlight PA is funded by foundations and readers like you who are committed to accountability journalism that gets results. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
