Strict Arizona cellphone law yields mixed results

Arizona's 'no holding' law cuts handheld calls but not other phone use

October 30, 2025

An Arizona law making it illegal to hold a cellphone while driving cut handheld conversations but not other manual cellphone activities, a new study from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety shows.

"These results are a bit of a reality check. 'No holding' laws are a positive step, but it will take more than better-worded legislation alone to combat cellphone distraction," IIHS President David Harkey said.

Telematics data compiled anonymously from insurance companies' safe-driving apps showed that Arizona drivers spent 26% less time on handheld calls after the ban went into effect than before, but the new law had little impact on cellphone manipulation - an umbrella term that covers scrolling, swiping, typing and any other action that requires holding the device.

"The fact that drivers continued to type and scroll in the wake of a law that made it illegal even to hold the device shows how hard it's going to be to stop this behavior," said Ian Reagan, senior research scientist at IIHS and lead author of the study. "Sustained, high-visibility enforcement efforts are likely needed to make drivers take the new law seriously."

In Arizona, the number of warnings issued by state police fell by about a quarter and the number of citations fell by a third between 2021 and 2024.

Cellphones and crash risk

There are no reliable estimates of the number of crashes caused by distracted drivers. But the evidence is strong that looking away from the road to focus on something other than driving increases crash risk. The more demanding the secondary task and the longer the driver's eyes are away from the road, the greater the danger becomes.

While that's true of any secondary activity, cellphones are the most common culprit. A national two-year study of 3,100 drivers found that they used their cellphones more than 6 times as often as they reached for other objects.

Early bans targeted narrow behaviors like handheld conversations or texting, but jurisdictions are increasingly adopting comprehensive bans on holding an electronic device while driving. An earlier IIHS study showed these stronger laws were associated with rear-end crash reductions in Oregon and Washington, though not in California.

Arizona passed such a law in April 2019, allowing police to issue written warnings immediately and to begin issuing citations in January 2021. Prior to 2019, Arizona had no statewide cellphone ban for drivers of all ages, though some local communities banned handheld calls, texting or both.

To measure the law's impact, IIHS researchers analyzed roadside observation data from trained observers and telematics data from insurers' safe-driving apps from before and after the law went into effect. They compared the trends from Arizona with Nevada, which does not have a law against holding a cellphone but has banned texting and handheld calls since 2012.

The roadside observers recorded the percentage of drivers they saw holding a phone, manipulating a phone or holding a phone to their ear, as well as the apparent age and sex of the driver. Stationed at specific locations, they could only note drivers using their phones at the moment they passed the observation spot.

In contrast, thanks to the accelerometers used in today's smartphones, the telematics data recorded every instance that the participating drivers moved or picked up their phones while their vehicle was traveling at least 9.3 mph (15 kph). Collected from the phones themselves, the data recorded when drivers were making handheld calls and manipulating their phones. Both the percentage of trips during which the behavior occurred and how much of the total trip time was spent on the activities were logged.

Calls fell, but other behaviors didn't

The roadside observations and telematics data showed declines in handheld calls.

Roadside observations showed that, relative to Nevada drivers, Arizona drivers were about 7% less likely to be seen having handheld conversations immediately after the law went into effect than before, though the result was not statistically significant.

The telematics data showed larger reductions. The first year that the law was in effect, drivers were about 17% less likely to make handheld calls and 22% less likely to be on a handheld call at any given moment. By 2024, those reductions widened to 21% and 26%, respectively.

The picture was different for cellphone manipulation.

Roadside observations showed a small decline, but it was not statistically significant. Telematics data showed slight increases in the likelihood of cellphone manipulation occurring on trips. At any given moment of a trip, cellphone manipulation declined slightly the first year the law was in effect and then increased slightly through 2024.

Pre-existing local ordinances may have influenced results. The roadside observation data showed reductions in handheld calls in Mesa-Scottsdale and Phoenix, which did not have prior handheld calling bans. Tucson, which already had handheld calling and texting bans before the state law, did not see reductions.

Bad timing?

The timing of the state law may have presented a hurdle. Enacted in 2019, it went into effect during the COVID-19 pandemic, when police enforcement fell nationwide. That might explain why warnings and citations fell over the study period.

A sustained, high-profile campaign coupled with consistent enforcement - similar to the "Click It or Ticket" program that was influential in improving seat belt use - could yield better results.

"Efforts to reduce speeding, impaired driving and other kinds of risky behaviors show that laws are more effective when drivers know there's a strong possibility that they'll be penalized," Harkey said.