In 2023, 3,275 motorists were killed in distracted driving related crashes across the United States.

On June 5 in Pennsylvania, legislation known as Paul Miller’s Law went into effect, banning the use of any handheld device behind the wheel for all drivers across the state.

Named after Paul Miller Jr., who was killed in Monroe County in 2010 by a distracted driver, the law aims to eliminate one of the most dangerous behaviors on the road.

The Pennsylvania State Police, Troop T Eastern Section, which includes the Pocono stations, are participating in “Operation Sidetrack,” which began Saturday and runs until June 22.

The initiative will combine patrol efforts on the Pennsylvania Turnpike to seek out violations of distracted driving. A particular goal of the initiative is high state police visibility to reduce the occurrence of serious injury crashes due to distracted driving.

Motorists should expect a zero-tolerance enforcement approach by troopers.