Drivers have a few weeks to change their driving habits or face $150 fines.
Lawmakers enacted a road law that will penalize drivers who do not use their Bluetooth devices.
Missouri became the 49th state to make using a phone while driving illegal, according to local CBS station KMOV.
Previously, Missouri only prohibited phone use for drivers under the age of 21.
However, the new regulation will forbid all drivers, regardless of age, from using their phones while operating a vehicle.
Drivers will be unable to change the music on their phones, text, or use the internet.
The law will take effect on August 28.
However, until January 1, 2025, police will not be able to impose fines.
Fines for first-time offenders will begin at $150.
Phone use is also a secondary fine, which means that drivers cannot be pulled up only because they are using their gadgets.
Before issuing fines, the police must first catch drivers who are speeding or driving carelessly.
If a driver connects their phone via Bluetooth, they can still use it.
The rule allows drivers to use voice-to-text and phone mirroring technologies, such as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
It also distinguishes between crises, such as when a driver must dial 911 or pull over to the side of the road.
Drivers in the state reported that some people were using their gadgets while driving.
“I count how many people are using their cellphones. Peggy Varner, a driver, observed, “It’s unbelievable.”
“I think that is necessary. “I think it’s a huge distraction,” another driver, Janet Mayfield, told the channel.
According to auto experts, using a phone while driving reduces road safety.
According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, phone use is one of the most crash-inducing behaviors among all drivers.
“It only takes a few seconds for something to go wrong and a crash to happen,” AAA representative Nick Chbarria told the channel.
“These are avoidable collisions. It’s someone choosing to look at their phone rather than the road ahead.”
The only US state without driver phone restrictions is Montana.
