Mississippi Phones & Distraction practice test

Key Mississippi facts: Phones & Distraction

• A driver of a moving vehicle may not hold a hand-held phone to write, send or read a text, or use one to read or post on social networking sites. Miss. Code 63-33-1(2); manual Cellphone Use, PDF p. 23 (current text as reproduced in 2026 HB 291 (introduced, died in committee))
• Breaking the texting law is a civil violation with a $100 fine. Miss. Code 63-33-1(3) (current text as reproduced in 2026 HB 291 (introduced, died in committee))
• Text messages include instant messages and email but not emergency, traffic or weather alerts or messages about operating or navigating the vehicle; a hands-free device lets the user text without either hand, except to turn features on or off. Cellphone Use, PDF p. 23
• The manual recommends a hands-free device for calls made while driving. Cellphone Use, PDF p. 23
• A distraction is anything that takes attention from driving; mental distractions are as dangerous as taking eyes off the road or hands off the wheel. Avoiding Distractions, PDF p. 23

Sample Phones & Distraction questions

What does the Mississippi manual say about hanging decorations from your rearview mirror?

• Only small ones
• Only at night
• Avoid it
• It is required

Show the answer

Avoid it

Items hanging from the mirror can block your view of the road.

Source: MDPS Driver's License Manual, Visual Obstructions & Other Distractions, PDF p. 24

How dangerous are mental distractions compared with taking your eyes off the road?

• Not dangerous at all
• Just as dangerous
• Much less dangerous
• Only risky at night

Show the answer

Just as dangerous

Anything that pulls your attention from the road counts as a distraction.

Source: MDPS Driver's License Manual, Avoiding Distractions, PDF p. 23

Which message is not treated as a text message under Mississippi's texting law?

• An instant message
• A message to a friend
• A weather alert
• An email

Show the answer

A weather alert

Emergency and traffic alerts and messages about navigating the vehicle are also excluded.

Source: MDPS Driver's License Manual, Cellphone Use, PDF p. 23

On a long drive, why should you avoid following the same vehicles for a long time?

• It uses a great deal more fuel
• It is illegal on Mississippi highways
• Those drivers will slow down to annoy you
• You may relax too much and lose focus

Show the answer

You may relax too much and lose focus

Keep your eyes moving and take a break about every hundred miles.

Source: MDPS Driver's License Manual, While Driving Long Distances, PDF p. 22

What does the Mississippi manual recommend if you need to call someone while driving?

• A hands-free device
• Holding the phone low
• Calling only at red lights
• Using speaker on your lap

Show the answer

A hands-free device

Texting while driving is not allowed, and calls still take attention away from the road.

Source: MDPS Driver's License Manual, Cellphone Use, PDF p. 23

You have just had an argument and feel very upset. What does the Mississippi manual suggest?

• Let someone else drive
• Call a friend while driving
• Drive faster to calm down
• Play loud music

Show the answer

Let someone else drive

Strong emotions can distract you enough to make a crash more likely.

Source: MDPS Driver's License Manual, Emotional Distractions, PDF p. 24

What is the penalty for violating Mississippi's texting-while-driving law?

• A $500 fine
• Five days in jail
• A $100 fine
• A $25 fine

Show the answer

A $100 fine

It is a civil violation, and no state assessments are added to the fine.

Source: Miss. Code 63-33-1, Miss. Code 63-33-1(3) (current text as reproduced in 2026 HB 291 (introduced, died in committee))

Besides texting, what does Mississippi law bar while driving with a hand-held phone?

• Reading or posting on social media
• Taking a hands-free voice call
• Getting a weather alert sound
• Hearing a navigation instruction

Show the answer

Reading or posting on social media

The law covers writing, sending or reading texts and using social networking sites on a hand-held phone.

Source: Miss. Code 63-33-1, Miss. Code 63-33-1(2); manual Cellphone Use, PDF p. 23 (current text as reproduced in 2026 HB 291 (introduced, died in committee))

Under Mississippi's texting law, what is a hands-free device?

• One needing no hands except to turn it on or off
• Any phone that has a large screen and a stylus
• Any phone that is mounted up on the dashboard
• Any phone held only in the driver's left hand

Show the answer

One needing no hands except to turn it on or off

A hands-free or voice-operated device is not a hand-held phone under the law.

Source: MDPS Driver's License Manual, Cellphone Use, PDF p. 23

Which of these must be kept off your windshield in Mississippi?

• Unofficial stickers
• The inside rearview mirror
• Working windshield wipers
• The window tint decal

Show the answer

Unofficial stickers

The window tint decal belongs in the lower left corner of the windshield.

Source: MDPS Driver's License Manual, Visual Obstructions & Other Distractions, PDF p. 24; MDPS Driver's License Manual, Window Tint, PDF p. 75; License Plate, PDF p. 75

Take this topic's test

More Mississippi practice

• Full practice testAll topics, as in the knowledge test
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About these questions

We wrote these practice questions from the facts in the Mississippi Driver's License Manual ('Revised December 2024' (PDF p. 2), file '1.15.2025 Revised MDPS Driver's Manual.pdf' on driverservicebureau.dps.ms.gov (posted as the new manual on 2025-03-10), 92 PDF pages, read 2026-11-10. Page numbers cited are PDF pages, which equal the printed page numbers. Where the manual is silent or out of date, the Driver Service Bureau pages (Regular Learner's Permit, Regular Driver License, Hardship License, Knowledge Testing Policy, the August 2025 DUI FAQ and the 2026-06-25 Driver's Education Update), Miss. Admin. Code Title 31, Part 1, and the Mississippi Code are the source. The official Mississippi Code is published only by LexisNexis (linked from sos.ms.gov, not a .gov host), so statute text was read from bills on billstatus.ls.state.ms.us that reproduce the current section before amendment: 63-3-809 (2026 HB 287), 63-3-615 (2025 HB 7), 63-3-501 (2025 HB 74), 63-33-1 (2026 HB 291) and 63-11-30 (2024 SB 2606); none of those bills was enacted, and the 2025 and 2026 session lists of enacted bills show no other change to these traffic rules (SB 2314 and SB 2322 of 2026 change license administration only). Differences found and how they were handled: (1) the manual's emergency vehicle section (p. 67) covers only emergency vehicles, while 63-3-809(3) and (5) also require moving over or slowing for stopped recovery, utility service, sanitation and highway maintenance vehicles and rural mail carriers, with fines up to $250 or $1,000 (63-3-809(6)); questions follow the statute; (2) the manual gives no penalty for texting; 63-33-1(3) makes it a civil violation with a $100 fine, used in one question; (3) the speed table (p. 41) gives limits that 'usually apply' (interstates 70, four-lane highways 65, two-lane highways 55), while 63-3-501 sets 65 as the general maximum and lets the Transportation Commission raise interstates and four-lane controlled-access highways to no more than 70; questions use 'usually' for the table and the statute for the general maximum; (4) the railroad stop rule is printed as 'within fifty to ten feet' (pp. 35-36) and is read as between 10 and 50 feet from the outer rail; (5) the manual (p. 11) requires the exam when an out-of-state license is expired over thirty days, while the Regular Driver License page says any expired out-of-state license; the question uses 'more than 30 days', true under both; (6) Admin. Code Title 31, Part 1 (filed 2014) is partly out of date (one-year permit, $3 fee, road test rules) against the current DSB pages; only its 80% pass rule is used. The school zone limit of 15 mph (pp. 31, 41) could not be checked against statute text on an official host and comes from the manual only. edition) and from official sources on road signs. Every answer links to its source, so you can check it and read more.

DMV Decoded is an independent guide, not a government agency. This practice test is not connected to the Mississippi Department of Public Safety, Driver Service Bureau, and your actual test will have different questions. Study the handbook, and check the agency's website for current rules.