Your Phone Behind The Wheel
Idaho Code § 49-1401A — hands free only, $75 the first time, and no seizure of the phone
Not while using a device. No one may operate a motor vehicle while using a mobile electronic device, or while watching motion on its screen other than for the vehicle's functions or navigation. Operating includes sitting at a light or in traffic.
- Emergency calls and reports.
- Hands-free navigation, without typing into it.
- Choosing a number or name to call by one touch or by voice.
- Voice-operated or hands-free use, with one-touch activation.
Those are among the uses the rule allows.
$75, $150, $300. A violation is a moving infraction with a fine of $75 for a first offense, $150 for a second within three years, and $300 for each later one. Three or more within three years may bring a suspension of up to ninety days.
Nothing in the section authorizes police to seize a phone. A parked car, or one pulled off the road, is not being operated.
Sources for this section (1)
- Idaho Code § 49-1401A — Distracted driving
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of October 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Idaho attorney.