Hundreds of Tennessee drivers were fined in July under the state's newly implemented distracted driving law that makes it illegal to hold a phone while driving, and state officials say they plan to ramp up enforcement further.

The Tennessee Highway Patrol wrote 424 citations across the state under the law that took effect July 1. Only three of those were specific to Davidson County.

But the Metro Nashville Police Department cited 46 drivers in the city last month.

And according to Wes Moster, director of communications for the THP, July and August are being used as a teaching period, though citations and fines were still issued.

"THP's goal is to focus on educating and informing the public before implementing aggressive enforcement," Moster said.

Tennessee is the 19th state to implement this type of ban, which prohibits drivers from holding or physically supporting a phone while driving — unless they are using an "earpiece, headphone device, or device worn on a wrist to conduct a voice-based communication."

Wilson County saw the most THP citations last month, with 34. No citations were issued in 23 counties.

Tennessee is the worst state for distracted driving

Tennessee had the highest rate of distracted driving fatalities from 2015 to 2017, according to data released by ValuePenguin. Tennessee saw 7.2 distracted driving deaths per 10 billion vehicle miles, which is almost five times higher than the national average of 1.49 fatalities per 10 billion vehicle miles.

The Hands Free Tennessee campaign said that in 2018, there were more than 24,600 crashes involving a distracted driver in Tennessee.

Moster is hopeful the new law will reduce fatalities.

"Our hope is that people will put the phone down and focus on driving. Not having a phone as a distraction will hopefully lead to a reduction in injury and fatal crashes and save lives," he said.

Citations before July 1

Even before the new law was implemented, texting and driving was illegal and citations were given. A handheld ban in active school zones was implemented in 2017. All cellphone use is banned for drivers with a learner's permit or an intermediate license.

Since Jan. 1, THP has issued 2,048 citations for distracted driving. Rutherford County has seen the most citations from THP this year, at 229.

► Cellphone ban:Everything you need to know about new Tennessee distracted driving law

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