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DMV Permit · Alcohol and Impaired Driving

Texting while driving:

Reviewed by Jordan Morley, Editorial Lead at 247SimpleTests. Written by the 247SimpleTests Editorial Team from the official source material cited on every question.

Correct answer

Is banned for all drivers in nearly every state and is one of the leading causes of crashes

  1. A Is allowed at red lights only
  2. B Is legal as long as you stay in your lane
  3. C Is banned for all drivers in nearly every state and is one of the leading causes of crashes
  4. D Is legal if the message is short

Why this is the answer

Texting while driving is illegal for all drivers in nearly every US state and is one of the most dangerous things you can do behind the wheel. The combination of cognitive distraction (your mind is on the message), visual distraction (your eyes are off the road), and manual distraction (your hands are off the wheel) makes texting comparable to driving while drunk in terms of crash risk. Even reading a text takes your eyes off the road for several seconds — at 55 mph, you cover the length of a football field every five seconds. Texting at red lights remains legal in some states but is still distracting and disruptive to traffic flow. Use hands-free systems if you must communicate while driving, and pull over for anything that requires significant attention.
Source: Standard state driver handbook, Distracted Driving

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About this topic: Alcohol and Impaired Driving

0.08 percent is the per se limit for non-commercial drivers in nearly every state (0.05 in Utah). Impairment begins well below the limit, and texting is comparable to driving drunk for crash risk. This is one of 6 DMV Permit questions on alcohol and impaired driving, each with a full explanation on a single study page.

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