Don't Get Caught Holding Your Phone While Driving In This State (Even If It's Off)

For about as long as mobile phones have been around, there's been a continuous conversation around their usage while driving. The general consensus is that holding and using a phone while driving is dangerous and distracting, and could result in damage to your vehicle and injuries to you and pedestrians. However, since the dawn of smartphones, people have made more frequent use of their devices as driving aids, particularly for functions like maps. You might think you have a leg to stand on if you're holding your phone and driving, in this particular case, but depending on where you live, that might not quite be true.

Specifically, as of June 2025, it is illegal in the state of California to have a phone in your hands while operating a motor vehicle. Technically, talking and texting on a phone have been illegal in California since 2008, but this newest ruling by the California Courts of Appeal further clarified that driving with a phone in your hand, even if it's to look at a map without touching the screen, is still unsafe enough to be considered illegal.

In a statement to The Sacramento Bee, California law firm Chain, Cohn and Clark clarified the precise reach of this amended driving safety law. In simplest terms, driving while holding a phone in your hands for any purpose, whether it's navigation, communication, entertainment, or just checking your notifications, is now against the law. This also goes for any kind of touching or manipulation of the phone, or even just holding it and looking at it without directly interfacing with it. Even if the phone is off, it's still a violation.

According to the California Office of Traffic Safety, it is okay to use a phone in your car so long as it's mounted in an unobtrusive way, and you're not using it excessively. For example, if it's mounted to your windshield or dashboard in a phone holder in a position that doesn't distract you from the road, or if it's sent to a car's screen via Android Auto. You are allowed to touch or manipulate the device if it's mounted, though all interactions should be kept brief, no more than a single quick swipe, with hands-free interactions like voice commands being preferable.

Should you be caught by California police violating this law, you'll receive a fine of $20, with an additional $50 slapped on for each subsequent violation. If you absolutely have to use your phone in the car, make sure you do so safely via assistive gadgets like dedicated hands-free control devices.