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Cell Phone Use and Texting While Driving Laws

Updated April 2013

A-C | D-H | I-L | M | N | O-R | S-U | V-W
States Hand-held ban All cell phone ban Texting ban Enforcement Crash Data Collection 
Alabama No   Drivers age 16 and 17 who have held an intermediate license for less than 6 months. All drivers Primary  
Alaska No No All drivers   Primary Yes
Arizona No School bus drivers No Primary  
Arkansas No School bus drivers, drivers younger than 18 All drivers Primary for texting by all drivers and cell phone use by school bus drivers; secondary for cell phone use by young drivers Yes
California All drivers School and transit bus drivers and drivers younger than 18 All drivers Primary Yes
Colorado No Drivers younger than 18 All drivers Primary Yes
Connecticut All drivers Learner's permit holders, drivers younger than 18, and school bus drivers All drivers Primary  
Delaware All drivers (effective 01/02/11) Learner's permit and intermediate license holders and school bus drivers All drivers (effective 01/02/11) Primary

Yes
District of Columbia All drivers School bus drivers and learner's permit holders   All drivers   Primary   Yes
Florida No No No Not applicable   Yes  
Georgia Drivers younger than 18 (effective 07/01/10) School bus drivers. Drivers younger than 18.  All drivers (effective 07/01/10)  Primary     Yes
Hawaii No No   No   Not applicable      
Idaho No No   All Drivers (Effective 7/1/2012)   Primary    Yes***
Illinois Drivers in construction and school speed zones Learner's permit holders younger than 19, drivers younger than 19, and school bus drivers All drivers   Primary    Yes
Indiana No Drivers under the age of 18. All drivers (effective 07/01/11). Primary    Yes
Iowa No Learner's permit and intermediate license holders   All drivers  Secondary for texting   Yes 
Kansas No Learner's permit and intermediate license holders All drivers (effective 07/01/10) Primary Yes
Kentucky No Drivers younger than 18 (effective 07/13/10), School Bus Drivers. All drivers (effective 07/13/10)  Primary (effective 07/13/10)   Yes  
Louisiana No School bus drivers, learner's permit and intermediate license holders, drivers under age 18  All drivers   Primary Yes  
Maine** No Learner's permit and intermediate license holders All drivers (effective 09/13/11) Primary   Yes
Maryland All drivers (effective 10/01/10), School Bus Drivers. Learner's permit and intermediate license holders under 18. School bus drivers. All drivers Primary for texting  Yes
Massachusetts Local option School bus drivers,
passenger bus drivers, drivers younger than 18.		 All drivers (effective 09/30/10   Primary   Yes
Michigan Local option No All drivers (effective 07/01/10)   Primary (effective 07/01/10)    Yes
Minnesota No School bus drivers, learner's permit holders, and provisional license holders during the first 12 months after licensing     All drivers Primary   Yes
Mississippi No School bus drivers.  Learner's permit holders and intermediate license holders Primary    Yes   
Missouri No No Drivers 21 years of age or younger Primary     
Montana No No   No   Not applicable    Yes 
Nebraska No Learner's permit and intermediate license holders younger than 18   Learner's permit and intermediate license holders younger than 18

All drivers

 Secondary Yes
Nevada All drivers (effective 01/01/12) No     All drivers (effective 01/01/12) Not applicable    Yes  
New Hampshire No No   All drivers Primary  
New Jersey All drivers School bus drivers, and learner's permit and intermediate license holders   All drivers   Primary   Yes
New Mexico Local option Learners permit and intermediate license holders.  No   Not applicable   Yes
New York All drivers No    All drivers Primary Yes
North Carolina No Drivers younger than 18 and school bus drivers   All drivers Primary     
North Dakota Drivers younger than 18
(effective 01/01/12)		 Drivers younger than 18
(effective 01/01/12)		 All drivers (effective 08/01/11)  Primary (effective 08/01/11)   Yes
Ohio Local option Drivers younger than 18.  All drivers  Secondary    
Oklahoma Learner's permit and intermediate license holders, school bus drivers and public transit drivers (effective 11/01/10) School Bus Drivers and Public Transit Drivers (effective 11/01/10). Learner's permit holders, intermediate license holders, school bus drivers and public transit drivers (effective 11/01/10) Primary   Yes   
Oregon All drivers Drivers younger than 18 All drivers Primary Yes    
Pennsylvania Local option No   All drivers  Primary  Yes
Rhode Island No School bus drivers and drivers younger than 18 All drivers   Primary   Yes
South Carolina No No   No   Not applicable    Yes***
South Dakota No learner's permit and intermediate license holders (effective 07/01/13) learner's permit and intermediate license   holders (effective 07/01/13)  secondary (effective 07/01/13)   Yes
Tennessee No School bus drivers, and learner's permit and intermediate license holders   All drivers Primary    Yes
Texas Drivers in school crossing zones Bus drivers. Drivers younger than 18. (09/01/11)   Bus drivers when a passenger 17 and younger is present; intermediate license holders for first 12 months, drivers in school crossing zones   Primary    Yes
Utah See footnote* Drivers under
the age of 18. 		 All drivers

Primary for texting; secondary for talking on hand-held phone

 Yes   
Vermont No Drivers younger than 18 shall not use any portable electronic device while driving.  All drivers  Primary    
Virgin Islands Yes       Yes
Virginia No Drivers younger than 18 and school bus drivers     All drivers Primary(eff. 7/1/13) Yes
Washington All drivers Learners permit and intermediate license holders.  All drivers   Primary  Yes 
West Virginia All Drivers (Effective 7/1/2012) Drivers younger than 18 who hold either a learner's permit or an intermediate license  All Drivers (Effective 7/1/2012)  Primary   
Wisconsin No Learner or
Intermediate
License holder
(Eff. 11/1/12)		 All drivers (effective 12/01/10)  Primary (effective 12/01/10)    
Wyoming No No   All drivers Primary  Yes
Total All drivers: 10 states and District of Columbia.

School Bus drivers: 19 states and District of Columbia.

Teen drivers: 32  states and District of Columbia.

 All Drivers: 39 states and District of Columbia. Primary for all drivers texting: 35. 36 and U.S. Virgin Islands and District of Columbia.
Source: AAA, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, NCSL 2011.
Governor’s Highway Safety Association
.* Utah considers speaking on a cell phone, without a hands-free device, to be an offense only if a driver is also committing some other moving violation (other than speeding).
** Maine has a law that makes driving while distracted a traffic infraction. 29-A M.R.S.A. Sec. 2117.
*** Listed as a part of contributing factors

 

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