Study: Teen driver cell phone use unaffected by restrictions, despite awareness

In December 2006, North Carolina made it illegal for drivers under the age of 18 to use a cell phone – or any technology associated with a cell phone – while a vehicle is in motion. However, a study by the UNC Highway Safety Research Center's (HSRC) Center for the Study of Young Drivers has found this restriction had no long-term effect on the behavior of teenage drivers. The study also found many teenage drivers may be shifting from talking on a cell phone to texting.