DRIVERS could be slapped with a fine up to $450 if their hands are caught in the wrong place while on the road in 31 states.
The so-called touch law even applies to drivers who are at a red light or stuck in traffic, resulting in a minimum charge of $50.
TikTok user JoJo on the Go Go Travels warned users about fines you can get for distracted driving[/caption]
You could be slapped with a $50 fine in 31 states if you touch your phone while driving – even to use your GPS (stock image)[/caption]
Paul Miller’s Law went into effect in Pennsylvania on June 5, joining 30 other states that already had the hands-off rule in effect.
The varying distracted driving laws get millions of drivers across America in trouble if they are caught touching their phone at all while behind the wheel.
This includes people who use their devices to navigate the roads, which has caused some GPS users to panic about the potential charges if they need to touch their phone to get directions.
TikTok user JoJo on the Go Go, who posts travel advice on her account @jojoonthegogotravels, issued a warning to drivers about the law in a post shared on June 6.
“If you’re driving and an officer sees you touching your phone, they can pull you over and give you a $50 ticket, however the fines can go up to $450,” JoJo warned in a video that’s garnered over 485,000 likes.
She added, “You can still get a ticket if you are just touching your phone to pick it up and look at it momentarily while at a light.”
The TikToker shared the video in an attempt to warn people on the platform that the law could bring hefty charges.
“My advice is let’s spread the word to everybody so we’re not getting tickets and having to deal with all of this now,” she said.
People in the comments who use GPS begged for help as they complained about the new law.
“Welp us gps dependent girlies are cooked,” one wrote.
Another added, “So how are we using gps?”
“So I can’t touch my phone to see the gps ?? This is crazy,” a third wrote.
One user joked, “I use my phone as a GPS so I don’t get lost, guess I’ll bring back the paper maps lol.”
Other TikTok users pointed out that the law doesn’t apply to built-in GPS on car touch screens.
HANDS OFF
Currently, there are 31 states, plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the US Virgin Islands, where drivers are prohibited from using hand-held cell phones while driving.
Across these states, law enforcement officers can generally ticket a driver for using a hand-held cell phone without any other traffic offense taking place.
Some states, however, don’t have a complete ban on hand-held devices, but may instead have restrictions for specific groups – like novice drivers or school bus drivers.
What’s more, most states ban texting while driving.
The aforementioned 31 states are:
- Alabama
- Arizona
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New York
- Ohio
- Oregon
- Rhode Island
- Tennessee
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
“Weird since the screens in cars for everything is touch now too,” one wrote.
A second person said, “Let me get this straight. I can touch my car screen that duplicates my phone screen.
“But I can’t do the exact same thing on my phone.”
The law allows one exception: drivers can use their phones in an emergency to call law enforcement or another emergency service.
The fines vary depending on what state you live in.
In Pennsylvania, where the law was implemented most recently, there is a one-year warning period before cops start issuing $50 fines on June 5, 2026.
The rule has already been set in other states like New York, where repeated offenses can lead to escalating fines.
In New York, fines start at $50 and go up, with the maximum fine for a third offense within 18 months is a whopping $450 charge.
The law aims to reduce distracted driving and encourage drivers to focus on the road at all times, even when they’re briefly stopped.
