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.