Bill OBoyle: Pa. Senate approves 'Paul Miller Law'
Jun. 25—The Pennsylvania Senate voted 37-11 this week to pass House Bill 37 — "Paul Miller's Law" — moving the bill to the state House for further consideration.
The proposed law is named in memory of Paul Miller, the 21-year-old Scranton man who was killed by a distracted driver in 2010.
Paul's mom, Eileen Woelkers Miller, has led the fight to get this legislation passed, and she has been a tireless advocate of stopping distracted driving, speaking to countless organizations and schools, pleading with all to listen so they never have to endure the pain she and her husband, Paul Sr., have had to live with every day.
Eileen said this legislation would prohibit drivers from holding their cellphone/wireless device while driving or supporting it with any part of their body.
She said drivers can utilize their cellphone or hand-held wireless device utilizing Bluetooth technology or speakerphone measures.
"The legislation is aimed at changing driver behavior and sending a clear message that we need drivers to put down their phones for roadway safety," Eileen posted on her Facebook page.
Distracted driving hit a 10-year high in 2022 and an AAA safety study found 87.5% of drivers believe distracted driving has outpaced all other traffic-related issues.
"This legislation is reasonable, responsible and enforceable and is meant to protect all drivers," Eileen said.
When enacted, this bill will:
—Provide a grace period of 12-months, issuing only warnings for offenses.
—After the grace period, the penalties include a tiered monetary fine for subsequent offenses within a 60-month period. There are no points or suspension.
—The bill requires training for State Police on effectively enforcing distracted drivers regardless of age, sex, race or ethnicity.
—The bill also requires individuals with a learners permit to review educational materials on the dangers of distracted driving.
—The bill adds distracted driving awareness to a portion of the driver's license exam.
"Even without a law in place, please make a commitment to put your phone down while driving — two hands on the wheel, two eyes on the road and your mind at task," Eileen said.
I've seen Eileen in action, and I have heard her impassioned speech. She has managed to take her personal tragedy and use it to educate and convince students and adults about distracted driving and I know she has gotten though to many in her audiences.
Yet the problem of distracted driving continues.
Eileen says life is all about choices.
"What will your choice be?" she asks everyone. "Be safe and arrive alive."
Really now, what will it take?
When will we all realize that we don't ever want to go through what Eileen and her husband, Paul, have gone through"
We never want to feel that pain.
We never want to lose a loved one.
We never want to be the one that a distracted driver claims next.
In Pennsylvania, the tragedies resulting from distracted driving continue to rise.
—There were 60 fatal vehicle crashes on Pennsylvania roadways involving a distracted driver in 2021 — up from 47 in 2020 — that's up 27%, according to Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) crash data reports.
—The numbers of distracted driving fatalities over the past two decades have been fluctuating in Pennsylvania, from a high of 81 in 2005, to a low of 47 in 2020, during the height of the pandemic.
—According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in 2021, 3,522 people were killed nationwide as a result of 3,211 motor vehicle crashes involving distracted drivers, accounting for slightly more than 8% of all fatal crashes. This represents an 11% increase in distracted-affected fatal vehicle crashes and a 12% increase in number killed compared to 2020.
The category includes eating and drinking, talking to others in a vehicle, fiddling with a car stereo and, of course, using a cellphone.
The reports show that distracted driving is not just an issue with teen drivers. Of the total number of fatal distracted driving crashes in 2021, 513 involved a young driver aged 15 to 20, while 675 crashes involved a driver aged 65 or older.
Distracted driving fatalities impact all age groups. Of those killed in crashes involving a distracted driver:
—737 were age 24 or younger.
—1,522 were between the ages of 25 and 54
—1,235 were 55 years of age or older.
Other road users are also at risk. In 2021, there were 543 pedestrians, 75 bicyclists and 26 other non-occupants killed in crashes that involved a driver who was reported as distracted.
Read the statistics again and again. Don't think that this won't ever happen to you or someone dear to you.
Because unnecessary, avoidable tragedies happen every day.
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Reach Bill O'Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.
