Tennessee Highway Safety Office Launches ‘Operation Hands Free’

TENNESSEE — On Wednesday, April 1, the Tennessee Highway Safety Office (THSO) and Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP), divisions of the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security, are partnering with Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT), local law enforcement, and other traffic safety partners for “Operation Hands Free” to crack down on violators of Tennessee’s Hands-Free Law during National Distracted Driving Awareness Month.

The purpose of this campaign is to educate Tennesseans about the state’s “Hands Free Law,” known as Public Chapter No. 412, which took effect on July 1, 2019. This law requires drivers to put down their phones and focus on the road.

According to Tennessee’s Hands-Free Law (T.C.A. § 55-8-199), it is illegal for drivers to do the following:

• Hold a cell phone or mobile device with any part of their body

• Write, send, or read any text-based communication

• Reach for a cellphone or mobile device in a manner that requires the driver to no longer be in a seated driving position or properly restrained by a seat belt

• Watch a video or movie on a cellphone or mobile device

• Record or broadcast video on a cellphone or mobile device

Violation of this law is a Class C misdemeanor and can result in points on an individual’s driving record. A traffic citation based on this violation is considered a moving traffic violation. Fines for violations of the law include:

• $50 = First-time offense

• $100 = Third-time offense or higher; violation results in a car crash

• $200 = Violation occurs in a work zone while workers are present; violation occurs in a marked school zone while flashers are in operation

Drivers can learn more at www.HandsFreeTN.com.