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Cellphone Laws

Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Cellphone laws - November 2014
Hand-held Cell Phone Use: 14 states, D.C., Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands prohibit all drivers from using hand-held cell phones while driving. All are primary enforcement laws—an officer may cite a driver for using a hand-held cell phone without any other traffic offense taking place. Under the Utah law, no one commits an offense when speaking on a cellphone unless they are also committing some other moving violation other than speeding.

Local jurisdictions may or may not need specific state statutory authority to ban cellphones. Localities that have enacted restrictions on cellphone use include: Oahu, HI; Chicago, IL; Brookline, MA; Detroit, MI; Santa Fe, NM; Brooklyn, North Olmstead, and Walton Hills, OH; Conshohocken, Lebanon, and West Conshohocken, PA; Waupaca County, WI; and Cheyenne, WY. These locals are as of 2010, there are many more now doing the same thing, so you definitely need to check on your own.

All Cell Phone Use: No state bans all cell phone use for all drivers, but 38 states and D.C. ban all cell phone use by novice drivers, and 20 states and D.C. prohibit it for school bus drivers.

The table below shows the states that have cellphone laws and whether they specifically ban text messaging. It is now law that in states that have laws against cell phone usage while driving, an officer can pull you over if he/she sees you breaking a cell phone law with no other cause to pull you over but that one. Be warned, it is only a matter of time before all states have strict laws against using cell phones while driving. If you don't know why, please visit the video section and watch a few of the videos there and then you will know why. ;)

*These laws are subject to change daily, especially with the public becoming more enlightened about the increasing danger of texting n driving. So check your own local and state laws, as well as keep up with new laws in your own state. This is what was published as of today, November 2014, on iihs.org.
Texting and driving, not a good combination. Texting and driving in traffic checking messages while driving.

 
State Hand-held ban Young drivers all cellphone ban Bus drivers all cellphone ban Texting ban
Alabama   Yes, under 17 drivers who have held an intermediate license for fewer than 6 months   Yes
Alaska   no   Yes
Arizona   no Yes  
Arkansas Drivers 18 or older but younger than 21 Drivers under 18 Yes Yes
California Yes, all drivers Drivers under 18 Yes Yes
Colorado   Drivers under 18   Yes
Connecticut Yes, all drivers Drivers under 18 Yes Yes
Delaware Yes Yes Yes Yes
DC Yes Yes Yes Yes
Florida       Yes
Georgia   Drivers under 18 Yes Yes
Guam Yes     Yes
Hawaii Yes   Yes
Idaho     Yes Yes
Illinois Yes Yes, under 19 Yes Yes
Indiana   Yes, under 18 Yes Yes
Iowa   Learner's permit and intermediate license holders Yes Yes
Kansas   Learner's permit and intermediate license holders Yes Yes
Kentucky   Yes, under 18 Yes Yes
Louisiana Yes, with respect to novice drivers, see footnote(2) Yes, with respect to novice drivers, see footnote(2) Yes Yes
Maine   Yes, under 18 Yes Yes
Maryland Yes Yes, under 18 & learner's permit and provisional license holders Yes Yes
Massachusetts   Yes, under 18 Yes Yes
Michigan Yes, level 1 or 2 license Yes Yes
Minnesota   Yes, under 18 & learner's permit and provisional license holders Yes Yes
Mississippi   Yes, under 18 & learner's permit and provisional license holders Yes  
Missouri   Yes, under 21    
Montana        
Nebraska   Learner's permit and intermediate license holders younger than 18 Yes Yes
Nevada Yes Yes Yes Yes
New Hampshire Yes Yes Yes Yes
New Jersey Yes Learner's permit and intermediate license holders Yes Yes
New Mexico In state vehicles Learner's permit and provisional license holders Yes Yes
New York Yes   Yes Yes
North Carolina   Yes, under 18 Yes Yes
North Dakota   Yes, under 18 Yes Yes
Ohio   Yes, under 18 Yes Yes
Oklahoma Yes, learner's permit and intermediate license holders Yes (3) Yes  
Oregon Yes Yes, under 18 Yes Yes
Pennsylvania   Yes Yes Yes
Puerto Rico Yes   Yes Yes
Rhode Island   Yes, under 18 Yes Yes
South Carolina     Yes Yes
South Dakota no Learner's permit and intermediate license holders Yes Yes
Tennessee   Learner's permit and intermediate license holders Yes Yes
Texas   Yes Yes, with passengers under 17  
Utah   Yes, under 18 Yes Yes
Vermont Yes Yes, under 18 Yes Yes
Virgin Islands Yes   Yes Yes
Virginia   Yes, under 18 Yes Yes
Washington Yes Learner's permit and intermediate license holders Yes Yes
West Virginia Yes Yes, under 18 with learner's permit or an intermediate license Yes Yes
Wisconsin   Learner's permit and intermediate license holders Yes Yes
Wyoming   Yes, under 18 Yes Yes

(1)  The laws in Arkansas and California prohibit police from stopping a vehicle to determine if a driver is in compliance with the law. Clearly, that language prohibits the use of checkpoints to enforce the law, but it has been interpreted as the functional equivalent of secondary provisions that typically state the officer may not stop someone suspected of a violation unless there is other, independent, cause for a stop.

(2)  In Louisiana, all learner's permit holders, irrespective of age, and all intermediate license holders are prohibited from driving while using a hand-held cellphone and all drivers younger than 18 are prohibited from using any cellphone. Effective April 1, 2010 all drivers, irrespective of age, issued a first driver’s license will be prohibited from using a cellphone for one year. The cellphone ban is secondary for novice drivers age 18 and older.

(3)  In Oklahoma, learner's permit and intermediate license holders are banned from using a hand-held electronic device while operating a motor vehicle for non-life-threatening emergency purposes.

(4)  Utah's law defines careless driving as committing a moving violation (other than speeding) while distracted by use of a hand-held cellphone or other activities not related to driving.

Arkansas also bans the use of hand-held cell phones while driving in a school zone or in a highway construction zone. This law is secondarily enforced.

Texas has banned the use of hand-held phones and texting in school zones.

Sources: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and State Highway Safety Offices.

Cell phone laws change all the time, please check you own personal location and laws for exact up to date information and 100% verification of correctness.

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