Last updated: May 14, 2013
See what your state’s cell phone and texting laws for drivers prohibit — or are about to prohibit. The majority of U.S. states have restrictions on drivers’ use of handheld electronics, or are about to limit their use.
You are responsible for knowing the distracted driving laws while motoring in any state or municipal area.
See also: State distracted driving laws chart.
View distracted driving laws and legislation by state:
Alabama – Alaska – Arizona – Arkansas – California – Colorado
Connecticut – Delaware – District of Columbia – Florida – Georgia – Hawaii
Idaho – Illinois – Indiana – Iowa – Kansas – Kentucky – Louisiana – Maine
Maryland – Massachusetts – Michigan – Minnesota – Mississippi – Missouri
Montana – Nebraska – Nevada – New Hampshire – New Jersey – New Mexico
New York – New York cities, counties – North Carolina – North Dakota
Ohio – Oklahoma – Oregon – Pennsylvania – Rhode Island – South Carolina
South Dakota – Tennessee – Texas – Utah – Vermont – Virginia
State of Washington – West Virginia – Wisconsin – Wyoming
Interstate truck drivers and bus drivers prohibited from handheld cell phone use and text messaging, due to federal regulations that went into effect Jan. 3, 2012.
There are much greater distractions than cell phone use.
Consider banning people from waving and yelling at drivers during election campaigns and waving signs at drivers.
Consider banning costumed people or moving non-human objects and characters from attempting to get the attention of drivers to buy food or support their cause.
Flashing neon signs and moving messages on a screen distract drivers.
We are allowed to talk to others in the car as we drive. So, the hearing impaired sign to each other while driving as they take their eyes off the road and their hands off the wheel to do so.
But you call those things freedom of speech. We have laws allowing freedom of speech. So we can’t ban those distractions.
How is talking on a cell phone NOT free speech?
Ban all the distractions on our roads before you start on phones.
Cell phone usage constitutes freedom of speech.
I totally agree. Where are the laws on cigarettes and driving.. There are so much more dangerous distractions…. strip joint bilboards….etc…..nanny state…indeed.
Wow. Seriously?….smoking is a far cry from being the same as using the phone while driving. Maybe start to look at the evidence towards your cognitive response while talking on a phone and driving. I’m seriously tired of people throwing lines in the air without research. There is no reason in hell we really need to be on the phone and drive. It has been proven to be worse than drunk driving…its just a matter of time before the law gets serious and huge fines are given….but thats after the fact that many people will die or be hurt do to someone’s ignorance.
Along with the passage of legislation there needs to be conversation and education. It is tragic to see that a over a quarter of our teens of driving age text while driving, and car crashes account for nearly a third of teenage deaths. These are statistics, but so much of this is preventable. We can save lives not by legislation alone, but through education and technology. Hands-free calling and texting is available now.
I would like to make this law a lot more strickter than it has been and also put it in a special person’s name whom happen to be the relative of somebody that I know. She is the first person that was killed from texting, and I would like to know who our legistlater is for nh. thank you — please be careful out there
I suppose that all these people worrying about this have a reason.
When driving, you shall keep your eyes on the road, with the least distractions as possible. Talking is not necessarily dangerous but handling a phone might very well be. So any handsfree device is welcome according to me, anyway.
We should not be smoking or any other distractions while driving especially cell phone use both talking and texting. It has been proven as dangerous and deadly. And yes, we need strict laws banning cell phone use while driving and we also need the education that goes with it. I know first hand how dangerous this is. I almost lost two of my family members because the driver who hit them was talking on the cell phone and fiddling with the radio. These two family members went through so much and will never be the same. So please, no distractions while driving and either turn off your cell phone, put it in the glove box, or trunk while you are driving. Thank you.
Do any of you remember when we didn’t have cell phones? How important are your calls? How important are you? 99% are NOT! These laws came up, thanks to you, because you pushed your FREEDOM too far enough not to care about others on the road even causing many deaths. So please behave in public.
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Ban people from having passengers, the only time I have had an accident was when I was talking to my passenger. Now that’s distracted driving.