Everything you need to know about the hand-held cell phone ban

Admit it. Sometimes, you hold your phone while driving, glancing down to switch music or maybe to peek at a social media notification. Most of us have been there. 🤦‍♀️

But, beginning July 1, it will be illegal to hold a cellphone while driving.

📱That means

• No texting (which was already illegal).
• No holding your phone to the ear while talking
• No picking up your phone to look at Google maps.
• No holding for just a second because you really needed to hear that song, send that clever tweet or snap a picture of that breathtaking sunset.

📱The law

• Drivers are prohibited from holding or “physically supporting” a phone while driving.
• The law applies to people 18+ because younger drivers are already prohibited from using phones while driving.
• Law enforcement, first responders + utility workers are excluded.
• People making an emergency call are also excluded. (The Tennessean)

📱Penalties

• The first penalty for those caught using a phone while driving is $50.
• If it’s your third offense or you have a wreck, the fine is $100.
• If you’re in a work zone with crews present or in a school zone when the warning lights are on the fine is $200. (The Tennessean)

📱 What is allowed

• Use of an earpiece, headphone device or wrist device
• Drivers can use one button to begin or end a conversation through a hands-free device
• You can also send text messages with voice-to-text as long as you aren’t holding the phone (NewsChannel 9)

📱 By the numbers

• Last year, there were more than 24,600 crashes in Tennessee that involved a distracted driver.
• That’s an average of 67 crashes a day.
• In Hamilton County, there have been nearly 10,000 crashes that involved distracted driving in the past 10 years. (HandsFreeTN.com)

📱Poll