Your Phone Behind the Wheel
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 14-296aa — not in the hand at all, and $200, $375 and $625 since 1 October 2026
Public Act 26-63 rewrote this section from 1 October 2026. No person may operate a motor vehicle on a highway while holding or supporting a mobile electronic device with any part of their body, using one other than hands free, reading, viewing or typing a text or other nonvoice message on one, or with a video visible from the driver's seat.
Who handles this in Connecticut: legal aid programs and the state offices, listed in the Connecticut directory.
- A map from a navigation app is allowed on a device mounted on or fixed to the windshield, dashboard or center console where it does not impede driving.
- So are images that help with backing, parking, seeing the road or detecting objects.
- Holding or using a device only to reach an emergency response operator, a hospital, doctor's office or clinic, an ambulance company, a fire department or a police department about an emergency is allowed.
- No person under eighteen may drive while using a mobile electronic device at all, hands free included, except for that kind of emergency call.
| Violation | Fine |
|---|---|
| ViolationA first | Fine$200 |
| ViolationA second | Fine$375 |
| ViolationA third or later | Fine$625 |
A record of the violation appears on the driving history record. An officer issuing the summons records the specific distracted driving behavior observed. The section does not authorize seizing the device. Public Act 26-120 added that nobody is prosecuted for the same offense under this section and the work zone part of the reckless driving statute.
Sources for this section (1)
- Conn. Gen. Stat. § 14-296aa — Use of hand-held mobile telephones and mobile electronic devices by motor vehicle operators and school bus drivers prohibited or restricted. Exceptions. Penalties. Amounts remitted to municipality. Record of violation
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of October 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Connecticut attorney.