7 Phone Habits That Cost South Carolinians a Ticket Under the Hands-Free Law
Glancing down at your phone while you drive can feel like second nature.
For South Carolinians, a lot of those quick habits can now lead to a ticket.
Here’s which everyday phone moves the law covers.
Note: This is general information, not legal advice. Traffic laws and penalties are subject to change, so confirm the current requirements with the South Carolina Department of Public Safety.
1. Holding the Phone to Your Ear
The Hands-Free Law bans holding or supporting a phone with any part of your body while you drive.
A call at your ear is the plainest example.
The South Carolina Department of Public Safety says you can start or end a call without typing.
The catch is that the phone can’t be in your hand or resting on you.
An earpiece or a device worn on your wrist for voice-based communication is also allowed.
2. Resting the Phone on Your Lap
Your lap counts as part of your body under the Hands-Free Law.
A phone that rests on your lap counts as supported, even when both of your hands stay on the wheel.
The Department of Public Safety’s FAQ gives a flat no to the question of resting a cellphone on your lap.
The statute says any part of the body, so your knee counts too.
What the Hands-Free Law Counts as a Device
The Hands-Free Law’s definition of a mobile electronic device names a cellular telephone, a portable computer, a GPS receiver and an electronic game.
It also takes in any substantially similar stand-alone device used to communicate, display or record digital content.
That puts a portable computer or an electronic game under the same rules as your phone.
A stand-alone GPS unit is on the list too, so you can’t hold one while you drive.
3. Typing a Text
Does a thumb-typed reply break the Hands-Free Law?
It does.
The law bars you from composing any text, and it names text messages and emails as examples.
That takes in a quick reply to a group chat or a note typed into a messaging app.
Dictating is another story.
The law lets you start a voice-based message that your phone converts to text and sends automatically.
You still can’t hold the phone while you dictate.
4. Reading a Text as It Arrives
A text that lights up your screen falls under the same provision of the Hands-Free Law that covers typing one.
The provision bars you from reading, composing or transmitting a text, and it lists emails beside text messages.
That wording reaches an email from your boss as easily as a message from a friend.
The message can wait until you’ve parked.
Psst! How hands-free is your driving? Run through this checklist and see where you stand.
5. Scrolling an App or Website
Apps and websites fall under the Hands-Free Law too, not just messages.
The act’s list of banned text includes application interaction and website information.
A quick glance at a feed can feel harmless.
It can still cost you.
Navigation and listening to audio-based content are allowed as long as the phone isn’t held or supported by your body.
6. Watching a Video
Under the Hands-Free Law, you can’t watch video on a phone.
The act’s examples are a video, a movie, a game and a video call.
A video call with a friend is covered the same way as a movie.
That ban sits in a separate provision from the one on holding or supporting a phone.
7. Filming Your Drive
Recording video of your drive on a phone is another habit the Hands-Free Law covers.
According to the Department of Public Safety’s FAQ, the law prohibits a driver from recording or broadcasting video on a cellphone while operating a motor vehicle.
Using a hands-free device for it doesn’t change that answer.
Broadcasting sits beside recording in that answer, so if you go live, you’re in the same category.
Dashcams are different.
Devices used for the sole purpose of continuously recording or broadcasting video are exempt, and dashcams are the named example.
What the Law Allows
The Hands-Free Law has exceptions, and the Department of Public Safety’s FAQ puts lawfully parked or stopped at the top of the list.
Officials told the SC Daily Gazette they still encourage you to avoid your phone even at a red light.
The act also lets you use your phone to report an accident, an emergency or a safety hazard to a public safety official.
The law also allows equipment and services installed by a vehicle’s original manufacturer.
The act exempts first responders performing official duties and workers using a digital dispatch system during their occupational duties.
Psst! How much do you know about the Hands-Free Law? Take our quiz and see if you can ace it.
Quiz
Hands-Free Pop Quiz
Answer these questions on the Hands-Free Law and distracted driving. We bet you can’t get them all right. Prove us wrong?
Which of these is something an officer can’t do solely because of a Hands-Free Act violation?
The First Months of Enforcement
The governor's office says the Hands-Free Law took effect on September 1, 2025.
A second offense within three years doubles the $100 fine to $200 and adds two points to your license.
In the first 30 days after the warning period ended, the Department of Public Safety counted 3,495 citations statewide.
Warnings kept coming too.
By early September, state and local agencies had issued 13,814 citations and 11,557 warnings since tickets began.
Officers need a clear and unobstructed view of a violation before they can stop you for it, according to the act's enforcement section.
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