AN ACT CONCERNING DISTRACTED DRIVING AND THE SAFE OPERATION OF A MOTOR VEHICLE IN A HIGHWAY WORK ZONE.

This bill updates Connecticut's distracted driving laws by clarifying definitions of mobile phone use and restricting hand-held phone usage while driving. It directly affects all motor vehicle operators by prohibiting the use of hand-held mobile phones to make calls or operate mobile electronic devices like text messaging apps while operating a vehicle on highways. Key provisions establish a rebuttable presumption that holding a phone to or near the ear constitutes call engagement, while allowing exceptions for emergency communications, official duties of first responders and military personnel, and hands-free phone use. The law takes effect on October 1, 2026, and does not authorize confiscation of phones unless other laws permit it.