Pennsylvania mom continues to educate drivers on dangers of using phones while driving as law takes effect Friday

Drivers across Pennsylvania who use a handheld cellphone behind the wheel can now face fines under Paul Miller's Law, as the one-year warning period for the new hands-free driving law comes to an end.

Starting Friday, motorists who are caught holding or using a cellphone while driving can receive a $50 fine. The law applies even when drivers are stopped at a red light or sitting in traffic.

Prospect Park Police Chief Dave Madonna said officers spent the past year educating drivers about the law, but many motorists still haven't changed their habits.

"I think people still are under the impression that these minor distractions are OK, and we're here to remind them that they're not," Madonna said.

Signs posted along roadways, including Wilmington-West Chester Pike in Glen Mills, urge drivers to put down their phones and focus on driving. Advocates said even brief phone use can leave a driver's attention hazardously divided, increasing the risk of a crash.

Madonna gave this advice for drivers who need to answer a call while driving.

"The safest thing for people to do is to pull over, put their vehicle in park and make sure they take the call that way," he said.

Drivers may still use hands-free technology, including voice commands and digital assistants, without handling their phones.

The law is named after Paul Miller, who was killed in a 2010 crash in Monroe County when a distracted truck driver reached for his cellphone while driving.

Paul's mother, Eileen Miller from Scranton, spent years advocating for a hands-free driving law in Pennsylvania. She continues to work with law enforcement agencies across the state to educate drivers about the dangers of using their cellphones while driving.

"It's a drug," Miller said. "It's very, very addicting. Right now, distracted driving, there are more crashes, and we call these crashes because they're preventable."

Miller said she hopes the law will prevent other families from experiencing the loss her family endured.

Her advocacy efforts continue beyond Paul Miller's Law. She is also pushing for tougher penalties for speeding in work zones and increased seat belt safety measures.

"There's nothing more important than a life," Miller said.