Cellphone Use While Driving Laws by State
According to research done by the University of Utah, using a handheld or hands free mobile device slows a driver’s reactions as much as someone with a blood alcohol content of .08, the legal limit in all U.S. states.
Using mobile devices to call, text or email is a leading cause of distracted driving and one of the most preventable, and text messaging is a useful way to communicate quickly, but safety should never be traded for convenience. Trying to write or read a text message while driving puts your full attention on your phone and not on the road, where it should be.
Distracted driving due to mobile devices isn’t just a problem with teenagers. Drivers of all ages are susceptible to being dangerously distracted. Just because a driver is more experienced does not mean that they can drive more safely while being texting, calling or otherwise being distracted by a mobile device.
Every day there are new incidences of serious injuries and fatalities due to a person texting while driving. Because of the increasing danger of distracted driving, many states now outlaw the use of cellular phones in any capacity while driving, and your state may be one of them. To avoid a ticket and a potentially dangerous accident, DO NOT USE YOUR CELLPHONE while driving. If you must absolutely make a phone call or text, pull off the road in a safe area, and then do so.
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LAWS BY STATE:
| State | Handheld Ban | Phone Ban - Young/Novice Drivers | Phone Ban - PublicTransit and Bus Drivers | Texting Ban | Enforcement Offense |
| ALABAMA | NO | ages 16 & 17 w/ intermediate license for > 6 mo. | NO | ALL | PRIMARY: texting by all SECONDARY: cellphone use by young |
| ALASKA | NO | NO | NO | ALL | PRIMARY |
| ARIZONA | NO | NO | School Bus | NO | PRIMARY |
| ARKANSAS | Ages 18-21; school and highway work zones | > age 18 | School Bus | ALL | PRIMARY: texting by all and cellphone use by school bus; SECONDARY: cellphone use by young in school and work zones |
| CALIFORNIA | ALL | > age 18 | School and Transit buses | ALL | PRIMARY: hand-held and texting by age 18+; SECONDARY: > age 18 |
| COLORADO | NO | > age 18 | NO | ALL | PRIMARY |
| CONNECTICUT | NO | > age 18 | School Bus | ALL | PRIMARY |
| DELAWARE | ALL | Learners Permit & Intermediate License | School Bus | ALL | PRIMARY |
| DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA | ALL | Learner's Permit | School Bus | ALL | PRIMARY |
| FLORIDA | NO | NO | NO | ALL | SECONDARY |
| GEORGIA | NO | > age 18 | School Bus | ALL | PRIMARY |
| HAWAII | ALL | > age 18 | NO | ALL | PRIMARY |
| IDAHO | NO | NO | NO | ALL | PRIMARY |
| ILLINOIS | ALL | > age 19 and Learner's Permit > age 19 | School Bus | ALL | PRIMARY |
| INDIANA | NO | > age 18 | NO | ALL | PRIMARY |
| IOWA | NO | Learner's Permit & Intermediate License | NO | ALL | PRIMARY for learners permit and intermediate license SECONDARY for texting |
| KANSAS | NO | Learner's Permit & Intermediate License | NO | ALL | PRIMARY |
| KENTUCKY | NO | > age 18 | School Bus | ALL | PRIMARY |
| LOUISIANA | In signed school zones; with respect to novice | All Novice Drivers | School Bus | ALL | PRIMARY |
| MAINE | NO | Learners Permit & Intermediate License | NO | ALL | PRIMARY |
| MARYLAND | ALL | > age 18 | School Bus | ALL | PRIMARY |
| MASSACHUSETTS | NO | > age 18 | School & Passenger Buses | ALL | PRIMARY |
| MICHIGAN | NO | Learner's Permit & Intermediate License (level 1 & 2); Integrated Voice-operating Systems Excepted | School Bus | ALL | PRIMARY |
| MINNESOTA | NO | Learner's Permit & Provisional License (first 12 mo.) | School Bus | ALL | PRIMARY |
| MISSISSIPPI | NO | NO | School Bus | Learner's Permit & Intermediate License & School Bus | PRIMARY |
| MISSOURI | NO | NO | NO | > age 21 | PRIMARY |
| MONTANA | NO | NO | NO | NO | N/A |
| NEBRASKA | NO | Learner's Permit & Intermediate License > age 18 | NO | ALL | SECONDARY |
| NEVADA | ALL | NO | NO | ALL | PRIMARY |
| NEW HAMPSHIRE | NO | NO | NO | ALL | PRIMARY |
| NEW JERSEY | ALL | Learner's Permit & Intermediate License | School Bus | ALL | PRIMARY |
| NEW MEXICO | NO | Learner's Permit & Intermediate | NO | ALL | PRIMARY |
| NEW YORK | ALL | NO | NO | ALL | PRIMARY |
| NORTH CAROLINA | NO | > age 18 | School Bus | ALL | PRIMARY |
| NORTH DAKOTA | NO | > age 18 | School Bus | ALL | PRIMARY |
| OHIO | NO | > age 18 | NO | ALL | PRIMARY: >18 SECONDARY: for texting |
| OKLAHOMA | Learners Permit & Intermediate License | NO | NO | Learners Permit, Intermediate License, School Bus & Public Transit | PRIMARY |
| OREGON | ALL | > age 18 | NO | ALL | PRIMARY |
| PENNSYLVANIA | NO | NO | NO | ALL | PRIMARY |
| RHODE ISLAND | NO | > age 18 | School Bus | ALL | PRIMARY |
| SOUTH CAROLINA | NO | NO | NO | ALL | PRIMARY |
| SOUTH DAKOTA | NO | Learners & Intermediate License | NO | ALL | SECONDARY |
| TENNESSEE | NO | Learner's & Intermediate License | School Bus | ALL | PRIMARY |
| TEXAS | In School-Crossing Zones & Public School Property | > age 18 | Bus When Passengers Are > age 17 | In School Crossing-Zones & Public School Property; Bus with Minors Aboard; > age 18 | PRIMARY |
| UTAH | NO | > age 18 | School Bus | ALL | PRIMARY |
| VERMONT | ALL | > age 18 | NO | ALL | PRIMARY |
| VIRGINIA | NO | > age 18 | School Bus | ALL | PRIMARY; SECONDARY: >18 |
| WASHINGTON | ALL | Learner's Permit & Intermediate License | NO | ALL | PRIMARY |
| WEST VIRGINIA | ALL | > age 18 w/ Learner's Permit / Intermediate License | NO | ALL | PRIMARY |
| WISCONSIN | NO | Learner's Permit & Intermediate License | NO | ALL | PRIMARY |
| WYOMING | NO | NO | NO | ALL | PRIMARY |