Under Colorado's distracted-driving law, what is the general rule about holding and using a mobile phone while driving?

Why D is correct

Colorado's distracted-driving rules draw the line at the hand: a phone in the driver's hand is a violation in itself, and the operating definition of 'driving' includes the moments stopped at a light or in traffic, because the vehicle is in the roadway and the driver is in control of it. The hands-free standard exists because the manual component — holding, touching, reading at an angle — is the physical anchor of the distraction, and the crash data ties handheld use to lane departures and rear-end crashes with unusual consistency. Hands-free systems carry their own cognitive load, but they remove the part of the behaviour the law can actually see and reach.

Why the other options are wrong

A. Phones are prohibited only on interstate highways

Red lights are part of driving in the law's definition: the driver is operating a vehicle in traffic, and the stop is a phase of the operation, not an exemption from it. The phone goes down when the engine is off and the car is out of the lanes.

B. Texting is prohibited but holding the phone for calls is permitted

Interstate highways are where handheld use is most dangerous, not exempted. The rule is statewide and speed-independent, applying identically on a residential street and an interstate.

C. Phones may be used freely at any speed provided the driver keeps one hand on the wheel

The one-hand-on-wheel compromise is the exact loophole the law closed. The violation attaches to the phone in the hand, not to the number of hands remaining on the wheel.

On the road

A commuter at a long red light picks up the phone from the cupholder to check a message — and meets a motorcycle officer in the next lane making the same observation from outside the glass. The light was red, the car was stopped, and the citation stands, because the law's definition of driving includes exactly that moment. The phone now lives in the console mount, spoken to and never held.

Similar questions

• Why Teen Passengers Are Limited | CO

  Intermediate licences for young drivers restrict the number of teenage passengers they may carry. What is the evidence-based reason for this restriction?

• Documents You Must Carry When Driving in Colorado

  A Colorado law enforcement officer stops you for a traffic violation and asks for your documents. Along with your driver license and vehicle registration, what else must you be able to show?

• Who May Supervise a Learner Permit Driver?

  You hold an instruction permit and are practising driving. What must be true of the person supervising you?

• Driving While Your Licence Is Suspended

  Your licence has been suspended for accumulated violations. What happens if you are caught driving during the suspension?

• Moving States: What Happens to Your Licence?

  You move from Colorado to another state and become a resident there. What must you do about your driver licence?