Is it legal to hold your phone in your hand while driving, even without using it?
- Yes, below 20 mph
- No
- Yes, if not in use
- Yes, at a stop sign
Show the answer
No
Holding a mobile device while driving is itself an offense.
Oregon Phones & Distraction practice test
Practice phone rules and other distractions: 13 questions based on the Oregon Driver Manual, 11 of them on Oregon's own rules.
Key Oregon facts: Phones & Distraction
- Drivers under 18 may not use a cell phone or other mobile electronic device while driving, even with a hands-free accessory. Safe & Responsible Driving, Distracted Driving, p. 80 (PDF p. 88)
- Drivers 18 or older may use a phone only with a hands-free accessory, one that keeps both hands on the wheel or needs only a swipe or tap of a finger to turn a function on or off. Safe & Responsible Driving, Distracted Driving, p. 80 (PDF p. 88)
- Holding a mobile electronic device in your hand while driving is an offense in itself. ORS 811.507(2)(a)
- For the phone law, driving includes being briefly stopped in traffic or at a signal; it does not include being pulled off the road or parked in a parking space. ORS 811.507(1)(a)
- It is a defense to the phone offense that the driver was calling for medical or other emergency help and no one else in the vehicle could do it. ORS 811.507(4)(a)
Sample Phones & Distraction questions
For a first phone conviction, how can the court let a driver avoid the fine?
- By doing 10 hours of service
- By completing a distracted driving course
- By paying a smaller fee
- By retaking the knowledge test
Show the answer
By completing a distracted driving course
The course must be completed within 120 days.
How may an adult driver use a cell phone while driving in Oregon?
- Holding it to the ear
- Only with a hands-free accessory
- Texting at low speed
- Any way in light traffic
Show the answer
Only with a hands-free accessory
A hands-free accessory may need only a swipe or tap to activate.
Source: Oregon Driver Manual 2026-2027, Safe & Responsible Driving, Distracted Driving, p. 80 (PDF p. 88); Oregon Revised Statutes 811.507, ORS 811.507(1)(b), (4)(b)
What is a third phone conviction within 10 years in Oregon?
- A Class D traffic violation
- A warning from the court
- A misdemeanor with a $2,000 minimum fine
- A $100 fine and a warning
Show the answer
A misdemeanor with a $2,000 minimum fine
A first conviction is a Class B traffic violation.
Source: Oregon Revised Statutes 811.507, ORS 811.507(5)(d), (6); Oregon Revised Statutes 811.507, ORS 811.507(5)(a)-(c)
Which of these gives a driver a legal defense for using a hand-held phone while driving?
- To text a parent about a delay
- To check a map on a quiet road
- To call for emergency help when no one else can
- While stopped in heavy traffic
Show the answer
To call for emergency help when no one else can
Oregon law makes it a defense to call for medical or other emergency help when no one else in the vehicle can.
A child in the back seat needs help while you drive. What should you do?
- Drive with one hand
- Reach back while steering
- Turn around quickly
- Pull over and park first
Show the answer
Pull over and park first
Do not take your eyes off the road to deal with passengers.
Source: Oregon Driver Manual 2026-2027, Safe & Responsible Driving, Distracted Driving, p. 80 (PDF p. 88)
You are stopped at a red light. Does the phone law still apply?
- No, because the car is not moving
- Yes, a brief stop in traffic counts as driving
- Only on highways and freeways
- Only after dark, at night
Show the answer
Yes, a brief stop in traffic counts as driving
It does not apply once you have pulled off the road or parked in a space.
Should you hold a pet in your lap while driving?
- Yes, if small
- No
- Only in slow traffic
- Yes, on short trips
Show the answer
No
Keep people, pets and packages out of your lap and arms while driving.
Source: Oregon Driver Manual 2026-2027, Safe & Responsible Driving, Distracted Driving, p. 80 (PDF p. 88); Oregon Driver Manual 2026-2027, Safe & Responsible Driving, External Passengers, p. 84 (PDF p. 92)
A 17-year-old Oregon driver wants to use a hands-free phone while driving. Is it allowed?
- Yes, for short calls
- Yes, on rural roads
- Yes, if hands-free
- No
Show the answer
No
Drivers under 18 may not use a mobile device at all while driving.
Source: Oregon Driver Manual 2026-2027, Safe & Responsible Driving, Distracted Driving, p. 80 (PDF p. 88); Oregon Revised Statutes 811.507, ORS 811.507(2), (4)(b); Oregon DMV, Get a Provisional Driver License (teen site), Detailed information, Driving Restrictions
With a provisional instruction permit, may you use a phone with a hands-free accessory?
- Yes, at red lights
- Yes, with a supervisor
- No
- Yes, for navigation
Show the answer
No
Hands-free accessories are not allowed for permit holders under 18.
Source: Oregon DMV, Get an Instruction Permit (teen site), Important Details, Driving Restrictions; Oregon Driver Manual 2026-2027, Safe & Responsible Driving, Distracted Driving, p. 80 (PDF p. 88); Oregon Revised Statutes 811.507, ORS 811.507(2), (4)(b); Oregon DMV, Get a Provisional Driver License (teen site), Detailed information, Driving Restrictions
More Oregon practice
- Full practice testAll topics, as in the knowledge test
- Road SignsWhat signs mean and what to do when you see them90 questions, 12 on Oregon rules
- Right-of-WayWho goes first at intersections, crosswalks and roundabouts37 questions, 15 on Oregon rules
- Traffic SignalsLights, arrows and pedestrian signals27 questions, 12 on Oregon rules
- Lanes & TurnsLane markings, turns, passing and merging40 questions, 14 on Oregon rules
- Speed LimitsLimits and how to adjust your speed21 questions, 15 on Oregon rules
- ParkingCurb colors, hills and where you can't park24 questions, 10 on Oregon rules
- Safe DrivingFollowing distance, weather, night driving and sharing the road47 questions, 21 on Oregon rules
- Alcohol & DrugsBlood alcohol limits, DUI rules and medication21 questions, 11 on Oregon rules
- EmergenciesBreakdowns, emergency vehicles and railroad crossings23 questions, 11 on Oregon rules
- License RulesPermits, restrictions for new drivers and points26 questions, 26 on Oregon rules
- Insurance & CollisionsRequired coverage and what to do after a crash19 questions, 12 on Oregon rules
About these questions
We wrote these practice questions from the facts in the Oregon Driver Manual (2026-2027 edition, Form 735-37 (1-26), read 2026-11-09; the PDF linked from the DMV manuals page is byte-identical (SHA-256) to the copy read, and the online manual (oregon.gov/odot/dmv/pages/online_manual) has the same text. Pages are cited as printed with the PDF page (PDF page = printed page + 8); PDF pages 56 and 57 both carry the School Zones text (printed 48 and 49), and the Impaired Driving text is printed twice (pp. 82-83), so citations use p. 49 and pp. 82-83. The manual says it condenses and paraphrases selected language of the Oregon Revised Statutes and is not a source of law (p. iv), so rules of law were checked against the ORS 2025 edition on oregonlegislature.gov (chapters 153, 742, 806, 807, 809, 811, 813, 815; read 2026-11-09), and teen licensing restrictions against ORS 807.122 and DMV's teen pages. Conflicts and gaps: approaching a stopped vehicle (p. 57) says you must change lanes and 'may also' slow down; ORS 811.147 requires a lane change away from the vehicle or slowing to at least 5 mph under the limit on multilane roads, and slowing on two-lane roads, so questions follow the statute. The uncontrolled intersection rule (p. 42) is backed by ORS 811.275, which gives the driver on the right the right of way regardless of who arrives first. Not used: towing fines (p. 36, no statute found in this round), the disabled parking fine range $165-$1,000 (p. 70; ORS 811.615 sets Class C and Class A violations, no such range), the 50-foot loud sound rule (p. 80; ORS 815.232 limits it to vehicles inside an urban growth boundary) and the stopping-distance chart (image only). ORS 811.145 and 811.507 change on 2027-01-01 (Oregon Laws 2025, chapter 278) only by adding organ transport vehicles, which no question uses. 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 Oregon Department of Transportation, Driver and Motor Vehicle Services (DMV), and your actual test will have different questions. Study the handbook, and check the agency's website for current rules.