New Arizona Law On July 1 Limits Teen Drivers' Cellphone Use

ARIZONA — Arizona teen drivers will only have two legal reasons to use a cellphone while driving, according to a new law taking effect Sunday, July 1. The law, signed into law in April 2017 by Gov. Doug Ducey, affects teens aged 15½ to 18, according to the Arizona Republic.

A "specific emergency situation" and "audible turn-by-turn navigation" are the only two reasons a teen will be allowed to use a cellphone while driving, according to the bill. Teen permit holders without a license, however, are not allowed to use cellphones for navigation.

The bill does specify, however, that cellphone use by a teen is not a primary offense. This means police cannot cite teens for cellphone use "without reasonable cause another violation has occurred."

See the full bill here.

A AAA study found that 59 percent of teenager accidents involved some sort of distracted driving within six seconds before the accident.

The Republic reports the first violation comes with a maximum fine of $75 and a 30-day extension for permit requirements. A second violation is up to $100 and a 60-day extension. The third violation is also a fine up to $100 and comes with a 30-day license suspension.

Michelle Donati, AAA's Arizona spokesperson, applauds the new law. “Oftentimes teens are very excited to get their license and they really want to create that freedom, but they might not understand how graduated drivers licensing works or how those laws work or how they’re designed to help them,” she said, according to the Republic.

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