By State: phone laws driving headphones
Ever wondered if it is legal to wear headphones while driving in a particular state? Wonder no more!
Alabama
No prohibition on wearing of headsets while driving.
Alaska
Wearing an audio headset or earplugs is not permitted while driving.
Exempts headsets when used and designed to improve a driver’s hearing ability or use navigational devices.
Arizona
Licensees of child care facilities must ensure that an individual who uses a motor vehicle to transport enrolled children does not use audio headphones while the car is in motion.
School bus drivers may not wear headsets whenever the bus is in motion.
Arkansas
No prohibition on wearing of headsets while driving.
California
Wearing headsets or earplugs in both ears is not permitted while driving or operating a bicycle.
Colorado
Wearing earphones is not permitted while driving. Exempts hearing devices built into protective headgear.
Connecticut
No prohibition on wearing of headsets while driving.
Delaware
No prohibition on wearing of headsets while driving.
District of Columbia
No prohibition on wearing of headsets while driving.
Florida
Wearing a headset, headphone, or other listening device, other than a hearing aid or instrument for the improvement of defective human hearing, is not permitted while driving.
Georgia
Wearing a headset or headphone which would impair that person’s ability to hear, or any device which impairs a person’s vision, is not permitted while driving. Exempts headsets or headphones used for communication purposes.
Hawaii
No prohibition on wearing of headsets while driving.
Idaho
No prohibition on wearing of headsets while driving.
Illinois
Wearing headset receivers is not permitted while driving. Exempts intercom helmets on motorcycles, cellular phone earpieces, and single-sided headsets.
Indiana
No prohibition on wearing of headsets while driving.
Iowa
No prohibition on wearing of headsets while driving.
Kansas
No prohibition on wearing of headsets while driving.
Kentucky
No prohibition on wearing of headsets while driving.
Louisiana
Wearing of headphones covering both ears while driving is not permitted. Exempts a headset built into a motorcycle helmet. A secondary offense.
Maine
No prohibition on wearing of headsets while driving.
Maryland
Wearing, either over or in both ears, earplugs, headsets, or earphones, is not permitted while driving. Exempts hearing aids.
Massachusetts
Wearing headphones is not permitted while driving, unless the headphones are used for communication in connection with controlling the course or movement of said vehicle.
Michigan
No prohibition on wearing of headsets while driving.
Minnesota
Wearing headphones or earphones in both ears simultaneously for the purposes of receiving or listening to broadcasts or reproductions from radios, tape decks, or other sound-producing or transmitting devices, is not permitted while driving. Exempts the use of hearing aid devices.
Mississippi
No prohibition on wearing of headsets while driving.
Missouri
No prohibition on wearing of headsets while driving.
Montana
No prohibition on wearing of headsets while driving.
Nebraska
No prohibition on wearing of headsets while driving.
Nevada
No prohibition on wearing of headsets while driving.
New Hampshire
No prohibition on wearing of headsets while driving.
New Jersey
No prohibition on wearing of headsets while driving.
New Mexico
No prohibition on wearing of headsets while driving.
New York
Wearing more than 1 earphone attached to a radio, tape player, or other audio device is not permitted while driving.
North Carolina
No prohibition on wearing of headsets while driving.
North Dakota
No prohibition on wearing of headsets while driving.
Ohio
Wearing earphones over, or earplugs in, both ears is not permitted while driving. Exempts speakers built into protective headgear or hearing aids.
Oklahoma
No prohibition on wearing of headsets while driving.
Oregon
Wearing radio headsets while driving is permitted with some local exceptions.
Pennsylvania
Wearing or using 1 or more headphones or earphones is not permitted while driving. Exempts the use of hearing aids, and the use of a headset in conjunction with a cellular telephone that only provides sound through one ear and allows surrounding sounds to be heard with the other ear.
Rhode Island
Wearing earphones or headsets is not permitted while driving or operating a bicycle.
South Carolina
No prohibition on wearing of headsets while driving.
South Dakota
No prohibition on wearing of headsets while driving.
Tennessee
No prohibition on wearing of headsets while driving.
Texas
No prohibition on wearing of headsets while driving.
Utah
No prohibition on wearing of headsets while driving.
Vermont
No prohibition on wearing of headsets while driving.
Virginia
Using earphones is not permitted while operating a motor vehicle, bicycle, electric power-assisted bicycle, or moped. Exempts hearing aids and motorcycle helmet earphones.
Washington
Wearing any headset or earphones connected to any electronic device capable of receiving a radio broadcast or playing a sound recording, in which the headset or earphones muffle or exclude other sounds, is not permitted while driving. Exempts motorcycle helmets with approved built-in headsets, and hands-free wireless communications systems.
West Virginia
No prohibition on wearing of headsets while driving.
Wisconsin
No prohibition on wearing of headsets while driving.
Wyoming
No prohibition on wearing of headsets while driving.
Puerto Rico
N/A.