Distracted drivers texting or using their cell phones caused 1,520 crashes, killing five people on South Carolina roads from 2013 to 2023, according to the most recent Department of Public Safety data. Now South Carolina is cracking down on distracted driving with heightened restrictions for drivers using mobile devices like phones and tablets.
The South Carolina Hands-Free and Distracted Driving Act takes effect on Sept. 1, after lawmakers passed new legislation in May.
South Carolina’s texting-and-driving law already prohibited composing, sending and reading text-based communications while driving, but the new law goes further.
What does South Carolina’s new hands-free law say?
As of Sept. 1, the new law bans drivers from reading, composing and transmitting texts, emails, app interactions and website information on a mobile device. It also outlaws watching motion, including video calls, videos, movies and games, on mobile devices…