Restrictions on cell phone use while driving in the United States
Various laws in the United States regulate the use of mobile phones and other electronics by motorists. Different states take different approaches. Some laws affect only novice drivers or commercial drivers, while some laws affect all drivers. Some laws target handheld devices only, while other laws affect both handheld and handsfree devices.
Regulatory laws
The laws regulating driving may be subject to primary enforcement or secondary enforcement by state, county or local authorities. All State-level cell phone use laws in the United States are of the primary enforcement type—meaning an officer may cite a driver for using a hand-held cell phone without any other traffic offense having taken place—except in some cases involving newer, drivers. In the case of secondary enforcement, a police officer may only stop or cite a driver for a cell phone use violation if the driver has committed another primary violation at the same time.A federal transportation funding law passed in July 2012, known as the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act, provided $17.5 million in grants during fiscal year 2013 for states with primary enforcement laws against distracted driving, including laws prohibiting cell phone use while driving. States with secondary enforcement laws or no laws at all are ineligible to receive this grant funding.
Laws by state
No state bans all cell phone use for all drivers. However, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia prohibit all drivers from using hand-held cell phones while driving. Thirty-six states and Washington, D.C. ban all cell phone use by newer drivers, while 19 states and Washington, D.C. prohibit any cell phone use by school bus drivers if children are present.| State | Total handheld device ban applied to: | Any cell phone use by driver prohibited if: | Bus driver use restriction | Texting & Internet Access | Effective date | Comment |
| Alabama | 16 and under, and 17 w/ temporary license or if licensed under six months | texting prohibited | ||||
| Alaska | totally prohibited | No restrictions on cell phone use | ||||
| Arizona | texting prohibited | none | ||||
| Arkansas | 18–20 years old | under 18 | totally prohibited | texting prohibited | Any cell phone use prohibited in school or construction zones. | |
| California | All | under 18 | totally prohibited | texting prohibited | ||
| Colorado | on learner's permit or under 18 | totally prohibited | ||||
| Connecticut | All | under 18 | totally prohibited | |||
| Delaware | All | on learner or intermediate license | totally prohibited | |||
| Florida | School zones and active construction zones | Allowed only while stopped at a red light. Otherwise prohibited. | Hands free earpieces can only be used in one ear. | |||
| Georgia | All Drivers | Under 18 | Driver totally prohibited unless used for routing communication | Driver totally prohibited, includes video | Driver Allowed to use hands free devices and voice to text with hands free devices and allowed to use permanent mounted GPS, Drivers are allowed to make emergency calls and report hazardous road conditions. Commercial Vehicle Drivers have limited use directly related to their work effective date 1 July 2018. | |
| Guam | All | |||||
| Hawaii | All | under 18 | totally prohibited | Statewide law entered into force July 2013; all counties had existing bans on cell phone use. Drivers 18 and older may use hands-free devices. | ||
| Idaho | No statewide laws enacted; authorities track "distractions" on accident reports. | |||||
| Illinois | All | any driver under 19 | totally prohibited | Any cell phone use prohibited in school or construction zones or within 500 feet of an emergency scene. | ||
| Indiana | under 21 | totally prohibited | totally prohibited | Indiana currently bars adults from texting while driving, but not talking on cell phones- | ||
| Iowa | on restricted or intermediate license | totally prohibited | July 1, 2017 updated the texting law to be enforced as a primary reason an officer can stop you. "Texting" is defined as: texting, internet browsing, playing games, and reading social media applications. If proven you were "texting" during a traffic fatality, it is deemed a Class C felony, and you can be put into prison for up to 10 years. | |||
| Kansas | on learner or intermediate license | |||||
| Kentucky | under 18 | totally prohibited | ||||
| Louisiana | prohibited in school zones | on learner or intermediate license | totally prohibited | June 13, 2016 | ||
| Maine | Totally prohibited | Totally prohibited | ||||
| Maryland | all | under 18 w/ restricted learner or intermediate license | ||||
| Massachusetts | under 18 | totally prohibited | totally prohibited | Until February 2020, handheld cell phone use allowed as long as one hand is on the wheel at all times. February 2020 law will allow one tap to activate voice communication, and use of navigational touch screens are allowed if mounted on windshield or dashboard. | ||
| Michigan | level-1 or level-2 license | |||||
| Minnesota | all as of 08/01/2019 | under 18 w/ learner or provisional license | totally prohibited | |||
| Mississippi | totally prohibited | |||||
| Missouri | ||||||
| Montana | ||||||
| Nebraska | under 18 w/ learner or intermediate license | |||||
| Nevada | all | |||||
| New Hampshire | all | totally prohibited | Penalty Schedule:
| |||
| New Jersey | all | on permit or provisional license. | totally prohibited | see Kyleigh's Law | ||
| New Mexico | Local Option by Jurisdiction | on learner or provisional license | ||||
| New York | all | |||||
| North Carolina | under 18 | totally prohibited | texting prohibited Internet access okay | |||
| North Dakota | under 18 | |||||
| Ohio | under 18 | |||||
| Oklahoma | learner or intermediate license holder | totally prohibited | ||||
| Oregon | all | under 18 | ||||
| Pennsylvania | $50 fine for texting while driving. | |||||
| Puerto Rico | all | |||||
| Rhode Island | all 06/01/2018 | under 18 | totally prohibited | |||
| South Carolina | Totally prohibited, but officers must ascertain that a driver is texting rather than using the phone for another purpose. | Authorities can impose fines and track "distractions" on accident reports under Contributing Factors. | ||||
| South Dakota | on learner or intermediate license | |||||
| Tennessee | All | on learner or intermediate license | totally prohibited | texting prohibited | ||
| Texas | Driving through school zones | under 18 | totally prohibited | texting prohibited | ||
| Utah | under 18 | Regulated under distracted driving laws. | ||||
| Vermont | all | under 18 | totally prohibited | GPS use of cell phone is allowed if the cell phone is securely mounted and not in the driver's handFirst offense shall be subject to a fine of $100 - $200 Second and subsequent offenses shall be subject to a fine of $250 - $500 if within a 2-year period | ||
| Virgin Islands | all | |||||
| Virginia | under 18 all | under 18 all | totally prohibited | totally prohibited | January 1, 2021 | Use of phone to talk is allowed, but text or email by the driver whilst vehicle is operational on state roads is prohibited. An exception exists for using GPS, dialing a number to make a call, or reporting an emergency. As of January 1, 2021, all handheld use of a phone will be prohibited. Exceptions allowed for when lawfully parked or stopped, emergency vehicles, reporting an emergency, using the radio, and traffic incident management workers. |
| Washington | all | on learner or intermediate license | Texting prohibited | |||
| Washington, D.C. | all | on learner permit | totally prohibited | totally prohibited | ||
| West Virginia | all | under 18 w/ learner or intermediate license | ||||
| Wisconsin | Driving through construction zones | on learner or intermediate license | Texting prohibited | |||
| Wyoming | on learner or intermediate license |
Preemption laws
Often, local authorities pass their own distracted driving bans—most include the use of cell phones while driving. Several states have prohibited localities from enacting their own laws regarding cell phone use.Cost of distracted driving
A 2014 report from the National Safety Council, which compiles data on injuries and fatalities from 2013 and earlier, concluded that use of mobile phones caused 26% of U.S. car accidents. Just 5% of mobile phone-related accidents in the U.S. involved texting: "The majority of the accidents involve drivers distracted while talking on handheld or hands-free cellphones."The U.S. Department of Transportation has established an official website to combat distracted driving, Distraction.gov.
In 2010, the State Farm insurance company stated that mobile phone use annually resulted in: 636,000 crashes, 330,000 personal injuries, 12,000 major injuries, 2,700 deaths, and $43 billion in damages.