Maine Distracted Driving Laws

You cannot hold your phone while driving in Maine, even at stoplights, under the strict hands-free law effective since 2019. Texting remains banned entirely, with fines starting at $50 for first offenses and rising to $250 or license suspension for repeats. Young drivers face even tougher restrictions. But proposed penalty hikes could change everything soon.

Key Takeaways

• Maine bans handheld electronic device use while driving, including at stops, but allows hands-free for drivers 18+.
• Texting is prohibited for all drivers; young drivers under 18 face total handheld bans.
• First texting offense carries $250 fine; repeats incur $500 fine and 30-day suspension.
• Hands-free violations start at $50 fine, escalating for repeats.
• Distracted driving caused 3,500+ crashes and 45 deaths annually in Maine.

What Is Maine’s Distracted Driving Law?

Maine’s Distracted Driving Law, codified under 29-A MRS §2121, prohibits you from operating a motor vehicle on a public way while using, manipulating, talking into, or otherwise interacting with a handheld electronic devices or mobile telephone, including when temporarily stationary at a traffic light or stop sign.

You’re permitted hands-free use if you’re 18 or older with a valid license, but distracted driving via text messaging is strictly banned under 29-A MRS §2119—you can’t read or compose messages.

Young drivers under 18 or with learner’s permits can’t use handheld electronic devices at all.

Violations incur a $250 minimum fine for first offenses and 30-day license suspension for repeats, emphasizing road safety.

What Are the Penalties for Violating Distracted Driving Laws?

A proposed bill seeks tougher fines. Prioritize driver education and community awareness to avoid risks.

Can You Text at a Stoplight or Stop Sign?

You can’t text at a stoplight or stop sign in Maine — the texting prohibition covers reading or composing electronic communications even when your vehicle is temporarily stopped.

The law explicitly includes temporary stops on public ways such as traffic lights, stop signs, and construction stops and carries a minimum $250 fine for a first offense.

Enforcement is intended to eliminate brief-touch exceptions and reduce distraction-related crashes by treating any handling of a handheld device while stopped as a violation.

Illegal at Lights

Maine law prohibits texting or interacting with handheld devices even when you stop temporarily at traffic lights or stop signs. This applies to all public ways, barring you from reading or composing electronic communications during any temporary halt, including construction sites.

Texting penalties start at a $250 fine for your first offense, escalating for repeats with license suspensions.

Distracted driving causes significant accidents, so enforcement targets these violations to improve road safety—no exceptions exist for brief pauses.

Pull over safely if you must respond.

No Exceptions for Stops

1. Law covers temporary stops without exception (Title 29-A §2119).
2. First offense incurs $250 minimum fine.
3. Prohibition prevents distractions regardless of motion.
4. Pull over off public way to text safely.

What Counts as Distracted Driving Beyond Phones?

You must recognize that distracted driving in Maine includes ordinary tasks like eating or grooming when they take your eyes or hands off driving.

Fiddling with dashboard controls or reading maps or papers while moving can reasonably be expected to impair your ability to control the vehicle.

Heated or distracting passenger conversations — including arguments — likewise qualify if they divert your attention from the road.

Eating While Driving

1. Diverts attention: Unwrapping or biting impairs road vigilance.
2. Slows reactions: Juggling meals delays responses to hazards.
3. Reduces awareness: Limits spatial judgment amid traffic.
4. Invites penalties: Contributes to citations if control lapses.

Pull over to eat—you’ll avoid infractions and guarantee safety.

Grooming in Vehicle

Passenger Arguments

1. Calmly ask passengers to pause the discussion.
2. Pull over safely to continue the conversation.
3. Limit emotionally charged talk while moving.
4. Use clear driver directives to refocus attention.

What Are the Restrictions for Young and Learner Drivers?

Maine imposes strict restrictions on young and learner drivers to minimize distractions.

You can’t use any handheld electronic device if you hold a learner permit, and licensed drivers under 18 face the same ban, per 29‑A MRS 1304 and 1311 (young driver restrictions, learner permit regulations).

> Learners with a permit and licensed drivers under 18 can’t use handheld electronic devices, per 29-A MRS 1304 and 1311.

You mustn’t text, call, or operate GPS via a handheld device whether the vehicle is moving or temporarily stopped.

Exceptions that apply to adult drivers — such as emergency communications or hands‑free use — don’t apply to drivers under 18, reinforcing a zero‑tolerance safety standard for inexperienced motorists.

What Are the Exceptions to Handheld Device Bans?

Although the handheld-device ban is broad, the statute creates narrow exceptions so you can still respond to true emergencies, comply with certain employment rules, or use hands-free systems when eligible. Maine law precisely outlines these:

1. Emergency personnel may use devices while driving when necessary.
2. Commercial drivers operating under Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration regulations may use handheld devices as specified.
3. School bus drivers may use handheld devices under certain employment conditions.
4. If you’re 18 or older with a valid license, you may use hands-free mode for communication.

Learner’s permit holders and drivers under 18 face strict prohibitions, even in emergencies.

Can You Use GPS or Navigation Apps While Driving?

Mount your GPS device securely before driving to comply with Maine’s hands-free laws, which permit use but prohibit handheld manipulation.

Set your destination prior to starting your vehicle, as drivers must pull over to a safe area for any changes to addresses or settings.

These practices guarantee you avoid distractions and adhere to restrictions, especially if you’re under 18 or hold a learner’s permit.

Mount Device Safely

Follow these guidelines for safe mounting:

1. Secure the device firmly to prevent movement.
2. Position it where it doesn’t obstruct your view of the road.
3. Set destinations before driving or pull over safely to adjust.
4. Drivers under 18 can’t use handheld devices, even mounted.

This setup lets you glance at directions hands-free.

Set Before Driving

Set destinations in your GPS or navigation app before you start driving.

Maine law permits you to use these apps while driving, but you must enter addresses beforehand and can’t manipulate settings in motion; pull over safely for any changes.

You may use hands‑free options to answer calls, but you can’t hold the phone to your ear.

If you’re under 18 or have a learner’s permit, handheld device use for any purpose — including navigation — is prohibited.

Follow GPS safety and these navigation tips to avoid distractions; violations can bring fines, license points, and other penalties under Maine’s distracted driving rules.

Pull Over Changes

1. Drivers 18+ may activate hands-free GPS with one touch while moving.
2. Under-18 drivers or learner’s permit holders can’t use handheld devices at all.
3. Texting or composing messages remains illegal, even when stopped temporarily.
4. All device interactions must occur only when safely stationary off the roadway.

Is Answering Phone Calls Allowed Hands-Free?

In Maine, you may answer phone calls hands-free if you’re 18 or older, but you can’t hold the phone to your ear or use it handheld for any purpose under the 2019 law.

Mount your phone or use Bluetooth to comply, maintaining hands free safety and driver awareness.

Under-18 drivers and learner’s permit holders face a total ban on handheld devices, even for emergencies.

Violations incur a $50 minimum fine for first offenses, escalating thereafter.

Prioritize these measures to avoid penalties and uphold road safety.

What If Your Phone Is in Your Pocket or on the Seat?

1. You mustn’t hold or touch the phone for any reason while operating the vehicle.
2. Pull over to a safe area if you need to use it.
3. Young drivers under 18 can’t interact with handheld devices at all.
4. Violations incur fines, points, and escalated penalties for repeats.

Stay compliant to guarantee safety.

How Do Commercial and School Bus Drivers’ Rules Differ?

Commercial and school bus drivers in Maine face distinct rules under 29-A M.R.S. §2121, which permits them to use handheld devices within their employment scope as allowed by Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration regulations—unlike the general prohibition for other drivers. You benefit from driver exemptions that let school bus operators communicate with emergency personnel while driving, prioritizing safety regulations for young passengers. You’re subject to both state and federal rules, so adhere strictly to avoid violations. Penalties include hefty fines and driving privilege suspensions, underscoring your heightened responsibility for passenger safety.[99 words]

What Happens If Distracted Driving Causes an Accident or Injury?

If your distracted driving causes an accident with injury or property damage, you face civil liability for negligence and potential criminal charges like “driving to endanger” under Maine law.

You may also incur license points and increased insurance costs for accident consequences, and texting-related violations carry escalating fines starting at $250 for first offenses.

In 2022 Maine recorded 3,157 distracted-driving crashes and 12 fatal crashes, underscoring the grave risk of distracted behavior.

1. Civil liability: pay medical, property, lost-wage, and pain-and-suffering damages.
2. Criminal exposure: “driving to endanger” or greater charges.
3. Administrative: license points, suspensions.
4. Financial: fines, higher premiums.

What Proposed Changes Are Coming to Fines and Penalties?

These increases signal a more assertive enforcement posture to reduce distracted driving.

State-by-State Distracted Driving Laws: Texting Bans, Handheld Rules & Penalties

Frequently Asked Questions

Can You Touch Your Phone at All While Driving?

You generally can’t touch your phone while driving; Maine permits only hands‑free phone usage for drivers 18+ and prohibits any handheld interaction (including at stoplights), with limited emergency exceptions and strict penalties for violations.

Is It Illegal to Eat While Driving in Maine?

Yes — it isn’t explicitly banned, but you can be cited if eating impairs safe driving or violates distracted driving statutes; mind your eating habits to prioritize safe driving, or you risk fines and points.

What Is the Romeo and Juliet Law in Maine?

Maine Laws’ Romeo Juliet rule lets you legally engage in consensual sexual conduct if the younger partner is 14–15 and you’re no more than five years older, preventing routine statutory charges for close‑in‑age teens.

What Counts as Distracted Driving?

What constitutes distracted driving? You engage in it by using handheld devices for texting penalties or other driving distractions that impair safe vehicle operation, even at stops; you’re prohibited under 29-A MRS 2118 and §2121.

Conclusion

You must stop handheld phone use while driving — even at red lights — or face escalating penalties that can include fines and license suspension, and young drivers are banned entirely from handheld use under Maine law (29‑A §2121). Imagine that a single second of distraction doubles your crash risk: Maine’s surveys found a post‑law drop in distracted driving but still measurable use, underscoring why tougher fines are being proposed to save lives.