State Laws on Distracted Driving - Ban on Hand-Held Devices and Texting While Driving
As of October 2021
Embedded Dataset Excel:
Dataset Excel:
table_02_25_082726.xlsx (12.27 KB)Notes:
A primary law means that an officer can ticket the driver for the offense without any other traffic violation taking place. A secondary law means an officer can only issue a ticket if a driver has been pulled over for another violation (like speeding).
Hand-held Cell Phone Use: 32 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.
Text Messaging: Washington was the first state to pass a texting ban in 2007. Currently, 49 states, D.C., Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands ban text messaging for all drivers.
Description:
KEY: Y = Yes.
Source:
Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), Distracted Driving, Cellphone use laws by state, available at https://www.iihs.org/topics/distracted-driving/cellphone-use-laws as of Aug. 24, 2026.