North Carolina Phones & Distraction practice test

Practice phone rules and other distractions: 17 questions based on the North Carolina Driver Handbook, 6 of them on North Carolina's own rules.

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Key North Carolina facts: Phones & Distraction

Drivers under 18 may not use a cell phone or associated technology while driving a moving vehicle on a public road. G.S. 20-137.3
Under-18 drivers may call about an emergency to emergency responders, a hospital or doctor, ambulance, fire, police, or a parent, guardian or spouse. Chapter 1, Your License: Graduated Licensing (pp. 12-13)
It is unlawful for any driver to read email or text messages while operating a vehicle. G.S. 20-137.4A
The under-18 phone ban does not apply in a stationary vehicle. G.S. 20-137.3(b)
No person may drive a school bus on a public road while using a cell phone or similar technology. Chapter 4, Your Driving: Distracted Driving (pp. 41-42)

Sample Phones & Distraction questions

Why should you secure your phone in your car, according to the North Carolina handbook?

So it can't run down the battery faster
So it can't lose its signal in a tunnel
So it can't become a projectile in a crash

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So it can't become a projectile in a crash

The handbook advises securing your phone so that it can't be thrown around in a crash.

Source: North Carolina Driver Handbook, Chapter 4, Your Driving: Distracted Driving (pp. 41-42)

When does North Carolina's under-18 phone ban not apply?

When the vehicle is stationary
When driving under 25 mph
When the road has no traffic

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When the vehicle is stationary

The law only reaches use while the vehicle is in motion on a public street, highway or public vehicular area.

Source: North Carolina General Statutes, G.S. 20-137.3(b)

May an adult read an email on a phone while driving on a North Carolina street?

Yes, in slow traffic
Yes, if it is short
No, that is unlawful

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No, that is unlawful

The law bars both typing messages and reading email or text messages while operating a vehicle.

Source: North Carolina General Statutes, G.S. 20-137.4A

A North Carolina driver under 18 has an emergency while driving. Whom may they call?

A parent, guardian or spouse, or emergency services
Only a friend who can drive over to help out
Only their insurance company or a repair shop

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A parent, guardian or spouse, or emergency services

Calls about an emergency are the exception, including to an emergency response operator, hospital, doctor, ambulance, fire or police.

Source: North Carolina Driver Handbook, Chapter 1, Your License: Graduated Licensing (pp. 12-13)

May a 17-year-old in North Carolina talk on a hands-free phone while driving on a public road?

Yes, as long as a licensed adult is along
Yes, as long as the phone stays hands-free
No, under-18 drivers may not use a cell phone

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No, under-18 drivers may not use a cell phone

The ban covers mobile phones and associated technology while the vehicle is moving, and the law's definition of a phone includes hands-free use.

Source: North Carolina General Statutes, G.S. 20-137.3

May a North Carolina school bus driver use a cell phone while operating the bus on a public road?

No, that is not allowed
Yes, with a hands-free set
Yes, on empty buses

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No, that is not allowed

The handbook lists a ban on cell phones and other mobile technology for anyone operating a school bus.

Source: North Carolina Driver Handbook, Chapter 4, Your Driving: Distracted Driving (pp. 41-42)

Which of these is a driver distraction?

Changing the music volume
Checking your mirrors
Scanning the road ahead

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Changing the music volume

Changing the music, like looking at a phone, takes your attention away from driving.

You must return an important phone call while driving. What should you do?

Call at the next red light
Call with one hand on the wheel
Pull safely off the road first

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Pull safely off the road first

Find a safe spot off the road before you phone anyone back.

Source: California Driver's Handbook, Section 8, Safe Driving (continued); Texas Driver Handbook, Chapter 9, Texting While Driving, p. 54; Illinois Rules of the Road, Chapter 4, Traffic Laws: Distracted Driving (p. 22); Pennsylvania Driver's Manual (PUB 95), PennDOT Distracted Driving page, Pennsylvania's Distracted Driving Law; North Carolina Driver Handbook, Chapter 4, Your Driving: Distracted Driving (pp. 41-42); What Every Driver Must Know (SOS-133), Chapter 4, Distracted driving, pp. 23-24; New Jersey Driver Manual, Chapter 5, Aggressive Driving/Road Rage (note), p. 91; Virginia Driver's Manual (DMV 39), Section 3, Safe Driving: Distracted Driving (p. 24); Massachusetts Driver's Manual, Chapter 2, p. 40; Maryland Driver's Manual, Section 6.C, p. 35; Wisconsin Motorists' Handbook 2026, Section 9.B Distracted Driving, p. 49; Arizona Driver License Manual and Customer Service Guide, Section 2, Safe Driving Practices: Distractions (p. 24); Tennessee Comprehensive Driver License Manual, Distracted Driving (p. iv); Kentucky Driver Manual, Section Three, Driver Distractions, PDF p. 31; South Carolina Driver's Manual, Section 3, Be in Shape to Drive, Driver Distractions, p. 3-4 (PDF p. 35); Colorado Driver Handbook (DR 2337), Careless/Reckless Driving, Distracted Driving, printed p. 24 (PDF p. 27); Oklahoma Driver Manual, Chapter 11, Car Phone Safety, p. 61; Connecticut Driver's Manual, Chapter 2, Before You Get Behind the Wheel, Connecticut Cell Phone Laws, p. 13; Utah Driver Handbook, Section 11, Distractions and Driving Challenges, PDF p. 66; Iowa Code 2026, §321.276, §321.276(2); Idaho Driver's Handbook, Cell Phones, PDF p. 93; Hawaii Driver's Manual, Chapter X, Distracted Driving, PDF p. 59; Delaware Driver Manual (July 2026), Section Five, Seeing Well, PDF p. 116; Montana Driver Manual (Form 25-0100, revised April 2024), Chapter 5, Don't Be a Distracted Driver, PDF p. 59; Maine Driver's License Manual (Rev 4/24), Section 3, Using a Cellular Telephone in Your Vehicle (pull off the road), PDF p. 27; Rhode Island Driver's Manual (April 2024), Safe Driving on the Highway, PDF p. 36; D.C. Official Code § 50, D.C. Official Code § 50-1731.04(b); RSA 265:79-c, RSA 265:79-c, paragraph I(b); Vermont Driver's Manual (VN-007, 2025 edition), Ch. 7, Cell Phones, PDF p. 56; Wyoming Driver License Manual: Rules of the Road (August 2021), PDF p. 89; Alaska Driver Manual (REV. 10/2025), Distracted driving, PDF p. 29

Why is eating while driving risky?

It is risky only at night
It is not risky at all
It takes your hands and attention away from driving
Food makes the car harder to steer

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It takes your hands and attention away from driving

Eating or drinking can take a hand off the wheel and your eyes and mind off the road.

Can talking with your passengers distract you?

Yes, it can pull your attention from the road
Only if the passengers are children
No, only phones are distractions

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Yes, it can pull your attention from the road

Conversation and turning to look at passengers take attention away from driving.

Source: North Carolina Driver Handbook, Distracted Driving: Distractions, PDF p. 43; Georgia Drivers' Manual, Section 5: Traffic Laws, Distracted Driving; New Jersey Driver Manual, Chapter 5, Distractions, PDF p. 94; Official Florida Driver License Handbook, Distracted Driving, PDF p. 42; Texas Driver Handbook, Distracted Driving, PDF p. 60; Massachusetts Driver's Manual, Chapter 5, p. 119; Maryland Driver's Manual, Section 6.C, p. 34; Missouri Driver Guide, Chapter 16, Distracted Driving, PDF p. 94; Tennessee Comprehensive Driver License Manual, Distracted Driving (p. iv); Minnesota Driver's Manual, Chapter 6, Distractions inside the vehicle, p. 78; Alabama Driver Manual, Chapter 4, The Driver, Concentration, PDF p. 33; Louisiana Class D & E Driver's Guide, Chapter 8, Driving Hazards and Emergencies, Distracted Driving, PDF p. 115; Kentucky Driver Manual, Section Three, Driver Distractions, PDF p. 31; South Carolina Driver's Manual, Section 3, Be in Shape to Drive, Driver Distractions, p. 3-4 (PDF p. 35); Colorado Driver Handbook (DR 2337), Before You Drive, Distractions, printed p. 6 (PDF p. 9); Oklahoma Driver Manual, Chapter 11, Car Phone Safety, p. 61; Connecticut Driver's Manual, Chapter 3, Driving Behaviors, Driver Distractions, p. 27; Iowa Driver's License Manual (MM1170), Chapter 3, 3.7 Eliminating Distractions, p. 36; Arkansas Driver License Study Guide (Vol. 1, Ed. 10, October 2026), Chapter 4, Safe Driving, What is Distracted Driving?, PDF p. 57; MDPS Driver's License Manual, Emotional Distractions, PDF p. 24; Kansas Driving Handbook, Section 3, Driver Distractions, PDF pp. 21-22; Idaho Driver's Handbook, Your Mood Affects Your Driving, PDF p. 88; Nebraska Driver's Manual, Section 5E-1, Are You Being Driven to Distraction, PDF p. 72; Hawaii Driver's Manual, Chapter X, Distracted Driving, PDF p. 58; West Virginia Driver's Licensing Handbook, Chapter VIII, Inattention and Concentration, PDF pp. 71-72; Delaware Driver Manual (July 2026), Section Two, Distracted Driving, PDF p. 53; Montana Driver Manual (Form 25-0100, revised April 2024), Chapter 5, Don't Be a Distracted Driver, PDF p. 59; Rhode Island Driver's Manual (April 2024), Distracted Driving, PDF p. 17; South Dakota Driver License Manual (revised 11/2024), Be in Shape to Drive, Driver Distractions, PDF p. 19; DC DMV Automobile Driver Manual (published Dec. 2023), Driver Manual, p. 5; New Hampshire Driver's Manual (DSMV 360, Rev. 11/25), Driver Distractions, PDF p. 14 (printed p. 8); Alaska Driver Manual (REV. 10/2025), Provisional Licenses (conversation distracts), PDF p. 9

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About these questions

We wrote these practice questions from the facts in the North Carolina Driver Handbook (Revised May 2025 (printed 09/25; PDF file updated September 2026) 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 North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles, and your actual test will have different questions. Study the handbook, and check the agency's website for current rules.