Government Actions and Policy Measures
Governments at all levels – national, state, and local – have recognized distracted driving as a public safety crisis and are pursuing a variety of actions to address it. These include legislation, enforcement technology, public awareness campaigns, and cross-sector partnerships.
Strengthening Laws
Many governments have updated their traffic laws in recent years to close gaps related to mobile phones. For example, the United Kingdom in 2022 tightened its mobile phone law – previously, it was illegal to call or text on a hand-held phone while driving, but some drivers exploited loopholes (e.g. claiming they were just taking a photo or scrolling a playlist, which weren't clearly prohibited).
The new UK law now bans virtually any hand-held phone use (from texting and talking to taking photos, videos, or browsing) behind the wheel, with limited exceptions (like calling emergency services) and imposes a £200 fine plus 6 license points on violators.
This kind of comprehensive ban is aimed at eliminating ambiguity and making enforcement easier ("if you're holding it, you're breaking the law").
Dozens of U.S. states have similarly upgraded laws to 'hands-free' requirements in the last five years. For instance, Georgia (2018), Minnesota (2019), Indiana (2020), Virginia (2021), Michigan (2023), and Ohio (2023) all enacted hands-free statutes that prohibit holding or supporting a phone while driving.
These laws often came after high-profile fatal crashes in those states and were bolstered by public support.
Automated Enforcement Technology
One of the most groundbreaking government initiatives comes from Australia, which has been a trailblazer in using automated cameras to catch distracted drivers.
Starting in 2019, the state of New South Wales rolled out AI-powered roadside cameras that photograph passing cars and use algorithms to detect if a driver is holding a phone. The program has since expanded to other states like Queensland and South Australia.
The results have been eye-opening – in one location, over 100,000 drivers were caught by these cameras in just the first few months, and after an initial warning period, thousands of fines are now issued each week.
In South Australia, just one week of camera enforcement in late 2024 led to 2,500 fines and even caught three individuals five or more times each on their phones, who are now losing their licenses.
These AI cameras operate day and night and have proven highly effective at spotting violators that police might miss.
Inspired by Australia's success, the UK trialed similar cameras in 2023 (with one test camera on a busy motorway catching hundreds of phone users in a short span), and some jurisdictions in the U.S. are exploring them as well.
For example, pilots or legislative proposals for automated distracted driving enforcement have been floated in New York, Washington, and Tennessee.
Public Education and Campaigns
Governments and safety organizations continue to invest in awareness campaigns to shift social norms. In the U.S., April is National Distracted Driving Awareness Month, during which NHTSA, state highway offices, and groups like the National Safety Council (NSC) run extensive media campaigns.
Slogans such as "If you're texting, who's driving?" or "Just Drive" have been used on billboards and TV ads. The "It Can Wait" campaign, originally started by AT&T, has been adopted by many state DOTs to emphasize that no text or notification is worth a life.
Personal stories are a cornerstone of these campaigns: many ads feature real families who lost loved ones to texting drivers, aiming to create an emotional impact akin to anti-drunk-driving campaigns.
In schools, programs like EndDD (End Distracted Driving) send speakers (often parents of victims) to high schools to educate teens about the dangers of distracted driving.
Surveys do suggest these efforts have raised awareness – as noted, the vast majority of people acknowledge the risk of texting and driving. The challenge is converting that awareness into behavior change, which is why combining education with enforcement (the classic "carrot and stick") works best.
Data Collection and Technology Partnerships
Governments are also investing in better data to tackle the problem. The U.S. Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) in partnership with GM published a comprehensive report in 2022 on combating distracted driving, which highlighted data shortcomings – e.g. the lack of uniform crash reporting codes for distraction – and recommended ways to improve how we track and analyze distraction-related crashes.
Better data can help target interventions to hotspots or particular demographics. Authorities are also working with tech companies in some cases: for example, state agencies have engaged with Apple and Google to integrate "Do Not Disturb While Driving" prompts (some states convinced Apple to present the DND feature during setup for users in their state).
Some legislatures proposed requiring phone makers to enable driving modes by default, though this hasn't been mandated.
On the automotive side, regulators are keeping a close eye on semi-autonomous vehicle features to ensure they don't encourage distraction – the U.S. NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board) has urged automakers like Tesla to implement stricter driver monitoring after several Autopilot-related fatal crashes where drivers were reportedly not paying attention.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Infrastructure Law of 2021 included a directive for automakers to eventually integrate anti-drunk-driving sensors; safety advocates argue that a similar push for anti-distraction tech (like mandatory camera monitoring) could be considered if the data show it would save lives.
In summary, government actions on this front are multifaceted: tougher laws, smarter enforcement, public education, and leveraging technology. Developed countries around the world are increasingly aligned on the message that driving with a smartphone is dangerous and unacceptable.