A 3-minute lesson from the Louisiana course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.
A distraction is anything that pulls your eyes, hands or mind off driving, and drivers may be distracted as much as half the time. Cell phone use is the number one distraction in crashes, and texting is the most alarming because it uses all three types at once.
Three types of distraction
Three types of distraction
Type
What it takes away
Visual
Your eyes from the road
Manual
Your hands from the wheel (e.g., adjusting the radio)
Louisiana law prohibits anyone 17 and under from using any wireless communication device while driving, and prohibits anyone of any age from texting while driving.
Using a wireless device while driving can cost you your license if you hold a Class E learner's or intermediate license, are under 18, or are within one year of your first license (out-of-state transfers excluded).
Hands-free phones still cause cognitive distraction: your hands are on the wheel but your mind isn't. Laws that ban only handheld use likely won't reduce crashes.
Your phone buzzes with a text on a 55 mph stretch. Reading it takes your eyes off the road for about 4.6 seconds, the length of a football field. Let it wait, or pull over safely to read it.
Check your understanding
Read the question, decide on an answer, then open it to check the explanation. These are Roadwise study questions based on the source handbook.
Louisiana's texting-while-driving ban applies to:
Drivers of all ages
Only drivers under 18
Only commercial drivers
Only drivers on the interstate
Answer: Drivers of all ages
Louisiana prohibits texting while driving for every age group, not just teens.