Can you use your phone while driving in Missouri or Kansas? New law takes effect Monday

Joseph Hernandez
The Kansas City Star

Distracted driving is one of the leading causes of car crashes in Missouri, according to the Missouri Department of Transportation.

Between 2012 and 2021 there were 200,000 distracted driving-related crashes in the state, resulting in at least 801 deaths.

A 2020 report from Forbes revealed that 13% of all fatal crashes caused by distracted driving were from texting. The report also said 9% of all distracted driving crashes were the result of texting.

In Kansas, the state has passed laws to address these problems. And in Missouri, a new law goes into effect next week.

So can drivers use their phones while driving in Kansas and Missouri? Here’s what the laws say.

What’s the Missouri law on using your cellphone while driving?

The Siddens Bening Hands-Free Law goes into effect Monday. It says drivers can no longer physically hold or support their cellphone with any part of their body while driving their car.

“The Siddens Bening Hands-Free Law is an important step towards reducing the number and severity of cellphone-related distracted driving crashes,” Capt. John Hotz, director of public information and education for the Missouri State Highway Patrol, said in a statement.

“The passage of the law provides law enforcement officers with an additional tool to help stop motorists from being distracted by their cellphones.”

This includes:

  • Manually typing, writing, sending or reading text-based messages

  • Recording, posting, sending or broadcasting video, including video calls and social media posts

  • Watching a video or movie

Talking on the phone is not prohibited under the new law.

Before Missouri lawmakers approved a bill and Gov. Mike Parson signed it into law in May, Missouri state law said that drivers under 21 years old or younger were prohibited from using any handheld wireless device to “send, read, or write a text message or electronic message.”

When can you use your cellphone while driving in Kansas?

In Kansas it’s illegal to send or read any text message while behind the wheel.

The law says: “No person shall operate a motor vehicle on a public road or highway while using a wireless communications device to write, send or read a written communication.”

There are some exceptions to the law. If you need to make a phone call, you can use your phone to read, enter or select the telephone number.

Other exceptions include:

  • You’re stopped off of the used portion of the road

  • You’re reading an emergency, traffic or weather alert message

  • You’re reading a message about the operation or navigation of the motor vehicle

  • You’re reporting illegal activity or preventing injury to person or property

Law enforcement officers and emergency personnel are exempt from the law, as long as they’re working within the scope of their job.

While there are exceptions to the texting ban, anything that can take your eyes off the road and distract you should be avoided while driving.

The Wichita Eagle’s Lindsay Smith contributed to this report.

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