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California · Rules

California phone and distracted-driving laws

Every second spent looking at a phone is a second the car travels unwatched. That’s why phone rules are strict, and stricter for new drivers.

Checked Oct 11, 2026 · official sources linked

7 rules · 7 written-test points

Key points, in our words

The idea behind it

Roadfeel’s road-sense principles

  • See and be seen You can’t avoid what you don’t see, and others can’t avoid you if they can’t see you. Scan far ahead, check blind spots, and use your lights.

All the rules, in our words

Tags show the kind of rule and whether it’s a written-test point or matters on the drive test (our tagging). Each rule links to its official source.

  1. Driving while using a handheld cell phone is illegal. Adults may use a phone hands-free, and only when necessary; let calls go to voicemail or pull over safely.

    Law Written test · Drive test California Driver Handbook: Safe Driving (cont. 2)

  2. Never write, send, or read texts or emails while driving. For adults that’s the handbook’s advice, and California’s Vehicle Code (Section 23123.5) is narrower: it bans holding and operating a phone, but allows voice-operated, hands-free use and a single tap or swipe on a mounted phone. For drivers under 18 the adult allowances above don’t apply: the handbook says it’s against the law for them to use a phone to answer calls or send or respond to texts while driving, except to call for emergency help, and DMV’s FFDL 19 adds that this includes hands-free devices.

    Law Written test · Drive test California Driver Handbook: Safe Driving (cont. 2)

  3. The handbook says a phone you use while driving must be mounted on the dash, windshield, or center console where it doesn’t block your view, and operated with one tap or swipe. On the windshield, California’s Vehicle Code (Sections 23123.5 and 26708) allows only the spots set for a GPS: a 7-inch square in the lower corner farthest from the driver, or a 5-inch square in the lower corner nearest the driver, outside the airbag zone.

    New York differs: You may hold the phone only to start or end a call, calls about an emergency are exempt, and a truly hands-free phone may be used at any time. New York rule

    Law Written test California Driver Handbook: Safe Driving (cont. 2)

  4. Drivers under 18 may not use a phone or any other wireless device while driving, even hands-free, and not just for calls and texts. On the road, the only exception is calling for emergency help; the ban doesn’t apply on private property.

    New York differs: Junior and probationary drivers convicted of hand-held phone use or texting lose their license for 120 days; another conviction within 6 months of getting it back means revocation for at least 1 year. New York rule

    Law Written test California Driver Handbook: Safe Driving (cont. 2)

  5. It’s illegal to drive with a headset or earplugs covering both ears; you need to hear horns, sirens, and other warnings.

    Law Written test California Driver Handbook: An Introduction to Driving

  6. Fatigue can affect your vision and slow your reactions, and some medicines, prescription or over-the-counter, can make you sleepy; it’s your job to know their effects.

    Safety advice Written test California Driver Handbook: An Introduction to Driving

  7. Phones aren’t the only distraction: looking at a navigation screen, children, or pets, changing music or volume, and putting on makeup or shaving all take your attention off driving. Avoid them while you drive.

    Safety advice Written test California Driver Handbook: Safe Driving (cont. 2)

Practice this chapter in the app · FreeAlcohol, drugs and phones0.08 · 0.04 · 0.01, implied consent, phones9 min · CardsStart this lesson

Sample questions

3 of our 18 practice questions for this chapter, with explanations. The rest are in the app.

Sample question 1/3

You’re an adult driver using your phone for directions. Which way of using it is allowed?

  1. Held up next to the steering wheel so you can see the phone and the road
  2. Resting on your lap so you can glance down at it
  3. Typing in a new address while driving slowly
  4. Mounted on the dashboard and operated with a single tap or swipe
Show answer

Answer: D. Mounted on the dashboard and operated with a single tap or swipe

Adults may use a phone hands-free when necessary: mounted on the windshield, dashboard or center console without blocking the view, single swipe or touch only. Using a handheld phone while driving is illegal.

California Driver Handbook: Safe Driving (cont. 2)

Sample question 2/3 Common mistake

A 17-year-old with a provisional license wants to reply to a friend’s text by speaking to her smartwatch while driving, without touching her phone. Is that allowed?

  1. Yes, because a voice reply counts as hands-free
  2. Yes, because the rule covers only cell phones
  3. Yes, if she keeps both hands on the wheel
  4. No; under 18, texting with any wireless device is illegal
Show answer

Answer: D. No; under 18, texting with any wireless device is illegal

Under 18, you may not use a phone or any other wireless device while driving, even hands-free, so replying by voice is out too. On public roads, the only exception is a call for emergency help.

California Driver Handbook: Safe Driving (cont. 2)

Sample question 3/3

Your mounted phone is guiding you to a friend’s house, and you decide to add a stop at a store on the way. What should you do?

  1. Pull off the road safely, then add the stop
  2. Type it in quickly while traffic is light
  3. Hold the phone against the wheel while you type
  4. Enter it a few letters at a time between glances
Show answer

Answer: A. Pull off the road safely, then add the stop

While you’re driving, a mounted phone may be operated only with a single tap or swipe. Typing in a new stop takes far more than that, so pull off the road safely before you do it.

California Driver Handbook: Safe Driving (cont. 2)

15 more practice questions for this chapterKeep practicing in Roadfeel

Sources

Restated in our own words from the California Driver Handbook (DL 600, rev. 6/2025) and dmv.ca.gov. The handbook is licensed CC BY-NC 4.0, which bars commercial reuse, so we don’t reproduce it; we quote short phrases and link to it.

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