The state’s newest driving law will take effect next week, and law enforcement agencies will be looking to make sure drivers aren’t using their phones for any reason.

The new “Hands Free Law” allows drivers to push one button to accept or end a phone call, but that’s it, Tennessee Highway Patrol Lt. Don Boshears said.

“Hands-free is basically just what it sounds like,” he said. “You will not be able to hold the phone in your hand or against any part of your body … you can do Bluetooth, you can use headphones and ear pieces and have it play through the radio.”

The new law goes into effect July 1. No more watching, recording or broadcasting videos while driving. No more holding your phone as you use turn-by-turn directions.

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“The way the law is written, even if you’re not making a call and you’re just holding it in your hand while operating a vehicle, you’re going to be in violation of the law,” Boshears said. “You don’t have to be on a call. You can just be driving down the road just holding it.”

Tennessee worst for distracted driving

There were over 24,600 crashes involving distracted drivers, roughly 67 crashes a day, in 2018, according to the Hands Free Tennessee website, and the state had the highest rate of distracting driving deaths, according to a recent study.

The new law will try to improve those numbers. Though distractions aren’t just phones, Boshears pointed out.

“I’ve seen it all. I’ve seen people reading (while driving). I’ve seen men trying to shave, no kidding,” he said. “Going down the road with that electric razor, trying to look in the mirror, trying to make sure they’re getting all the spots, and also trying to watch the roadway.”

Tennessee is the 19th state to ban holding a cellphone while driving, though it was already against the law to text while driving, and a law banning handheld devices in active school zones was added in 2017. All cellphone use is banned for drivers with a learner's permit or an intermediate license.

Boshears said the texting law was harder to enforce, but the new “Hands Free Law” won’t be, he said, because it will be pretty obvious to see if a phone is in someone’s hands.

Cellphones can be used while driving to speak to emergency agencies if it is a true emergency that “threatens human health, life or property, and voice-to-text technology and hands-free devices are still allowed."

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The new law does not apply to law enforcement officers if they’re using the devices for their jobs.

A complete question-and-answer page can be found at www.handsfreetn.com.

Punishment

The offenses get placed on your driving record and will hit your wallet.