Road Trippers Beware: Under California's 'No Touch' Law, It's Illegal To Do This At A Stoplight

If you're exploring California's striking coast via a road trip along the iconic Highway 1 or you're on a road trip to see every national park in California, there's been an updated ruling on the state's law about hands free driving that you should be aware of. A recent state appeals court decision determined that if you're driving, you can't use or even hold your phone, regardless if your car is stopped. If you're caught, you'll be subject to a fine, which will increase each time it happens, and the new, stricter interpretation of the law went into effect on July 1.

It's been referred to as the "no touch" law, though it should perhaps be called the "no hold" or "touch just once" law considering the parameters.  According to the appellate court ruling, you can't be holding your phone or looking at the screen, or you could get pulled over. If the phone is mounted safely, like on the dashboard, it can be touched only with a single tap or swipe.

You can still talk or text, but you have to do so using only voice operating functions. If you're under 18, no phone use is allowed, even the voice operated functions. You are, however, allowed to use your phone to call 911.

You haven't been able to legally talk on your phone without a hands-free device while driving in California since 2008. Texting was later added to the list of no-nos, but even so, drivers had been able to say that they were simply checking a maps app, for example, and not really using their phone per se, like to talk or text. It was this exact situation that led to this appellate court ruling. The driver argued that he wasn't really operating his phone when he was holding it and looking at a map. The court ruled otherwise.

Each state has its own laws when it comes to phone usage by drivers. Most states ban talking on cell phones, while nearly all states ban texting (Montana is the one hold out). Though just because you can do something doesn't mean you should. The idea behind the California law and its new interpretation is to help prevent distracted driving, which can have deadly consequences.

So to prevent a fine (or worse) ruining an otherwise perfect road trip through California, make sure you have your GPS instructions and playlist already set up or designate a passenger to control all of that. And if you're a solo traveler, it's probably time to invest in a phone mount for your car, it can helpful beyond just trips in California.