It's difficult to change behavior even when people know the risks. Surveys show drivers admit talking on cell phones and texting while driving, even when they say they know it's dangerous. We've been down this road before with seat belts, impaired driving and teen driving. Laws plus visible enforcement are effective at reducing crashes, saving lives and making our driving culture safer. Visit our resources for state laws and advocacy.
Each month during legislative season, most states see a great deal of activity regarding wireless device bills and laws. Check the resources below for current state laws and status of state bills.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety maintains updated charts of cell phone and text messaging laws. Find maps and charts with details of state laws.
The Governors Highway Safety Association maintains current information about state laws in an easy-to-compare table format.
The National Conference of State Legislatures tracks cell phone laws. The NCSL also maintains a current database of bills not passed into law including status, authors and legislative history. Visit the NSCL database and choose "Distracted Driving" as the topic.
National Conference of State Legislatures Transportation Issues and Research
Cell Phones and Highway Safety: 2006 State Legislative Report
Matt Sundeen, National Conference of State Legislatures (2007)
Legislative summary : Cell phones and other driving distractions (Canada)
William Glenn. Workplace Environment Health & Safety Reporter (2008)
Recent surveys have measured public support for hands-free, handheld and texting bans. According to these surveys, the public supports banning hands-free and handheld phones more than legislators and employers may think they do. Visit the Public Opinion Surveys section in Key Research for links to survey results.
Several short- and longer-term evaluations of laws have been published. Visit the Evaluations of Laws section in Key Research.