There are very few people in this world who posses the kind of social graces intrinsic to the characters in an Austen novel. Some would argue the children of the “information revolution” lack social propriety altogether. Despite the rumors that etiquette is dead, many of us do manage to exercise a little common courtesy toward our fellow man. After all etiquette exists simply to make the whole society caper a little less confrontational. The introduction of wireless communication has taken social interaction to an unprecedented level. Mobile technology allows people to communicate regardless of time or location, giving rise to a raft of contemporary etiquette concerns. Foremost among these concerns is consideration for the sensibilities of those in our physical presence when we take a call. Is it impolite, for example, to conduct a phone conversation whilst engaged in a carnal act? The contemporary socialite must also extend courtesy to the absent caller. Is it offensive to conduct a telephone conversation whilst using the toilet? This article offers guidance to the bewildered and brutish.

1. It is a truth universally acknowledged that cell phones must be switched off in the theatre. There is absolutely no excuse. Offenders shall be tarred and feathered. Obviously, this also applies to the cinema, the symphony and spoken word and performance art. Rock concerts and hip-hop shows are generally considered exempt, however, a punter with his fingers in his ears screaming “Huh? huh? huh?” into his cell is a frightful sight.

2. When piloting an automobile, use a hands-free device or resist answering incoming calls. Not only is it dangerous to talk and drive, it is illegal in many countries. Care should be taken not to incite road rage in other motorists. Furthermore, chatting vacuously on your cell while mounting the footpath will pique pedestrians.

3. Conducting loud cell phone conversations on public transport should be avoided at all costs. To believe that other commuters ought to be interested in your conversation is narcissistic at best, to subject travelers to your confabulation is an indulgence. Moreover, as one clever blogger puts it, there is a special circle of Hell reserved for people who, upon buying a new phone, cycle through every available tone on the bus or train on the way home.

4. When in the company of others, neither take nor make telephone calls. Nothing is more irksome than being spurned by a friend whose frequent cell phone conversations take precedence over live tete-a-tete. Answering an incoming call in an interview or business meeting is a faux-pas that is to be avoided at all costs.

To observe basic cell phone etiquette is neither difficult nor inconvenient. Technology such as cell phones create many possibilities for the advancement of society; society is founded upon mutual regard for one another. Always refer to the fundamental principle of good manners: treat others as you yourself wish to be treated. As for holding a cell phone conversation on the toilet…ignorance is bliss.

About The Author

Emily Sims has published several articles on ringtone (ringtones.foovely.com) culture, and mobile content related issues. Emily contributes to a weblog, The Foovely Files (blog.foovely.com), which she hopes someone, somewhere is reading.

Text messaging has evolved into becoming one of the fastest, easiest and more common ways of communicating with other people on a daily basis.

Only a couple of years ago, mobile phones were not widely used and those who used it were mostly businessmen who had to endure carrying the big bulky models. Now, almost everyone has his or her own mobile phone, and leaving the house without your phone is considered a major mistake.

Carrying a mobile phone is now considered not just ordinary but necessary to be able to communicate with friends and others. Aside from just making phone calls, mobiles can now be used for so much more, like taking pictures, playing music, playing games, sending e-mails, surfing the internet, and sending SMS messages. Short Message Sending, also known as texting, is when someone uses the mobile phone to send short messages to another mobile phone user over the telephone network.

The popularity of texting first spread rapidly in Asia, where high school teenagers started using text messaging as a more cost effective way of communication other than phone calls. As the trend grew, texting started to evolve into its own language, giving birth to abbreviations, slang and even driving the market to create phone models that are more suited towards texting.

It is easy to start texting as long as the mobile phone being used is capable of sending them. All the user needs to do is go to the proper menu where a message may be created or composed. Then the user needs to create a message by tapping out the letters and symbols on the keypad. Once the message has been created, the user just needs to select the receiver of the message and send it.

The charges for a single SMS vary according to the service provider. Despite the fact that there used to be no extra charge for texting when it first became available, the high number of people who used texting called attention to the trend when they started clogging the networks. Big businesses saw this as an opportunity to expand their empire by including texting in their list of services and started promoting the trend.

As the texting trend grew, it evolved into its own sub culture. The trend spread out to other generations beyond the realm of teenyboppers. People started using SMS to create jokes and graphics. Forwarded messages like chain emails were created and hoaxes, pranks, and even scams were also formulated on SMS.

Texting has evolved in several ways since then. One is the advent of MMS, or Multimedia Message Sending, which lets users send audio, video and image files with simple text messages. These allow greater personalization of the individual text messages. Even simple SMS were further personalized. The smiley faces and emoticons that can be added to a text message were enhanced, allowing people to insert more emotion to their messages.

Another mark of evolution in texting is its steady commercialization. Big companies have started to use text messages as a way to have their advertisements reach the consumer. Those with phones will no doubt receive at least one unsolicited advertisement on their phone a day.

There is no question that texting has come a long way from being a cheap alternative to calling. It is now the easiest way to connect to other people constantly and consistently throughout the day.
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Kate Moore,16, is a high school sophomore from Des Moines, Iowa and she just won $60,000 for her texting abilities. She started texting when she got her first phone a year and a half ago and then entered the LG U.S. National Texting Championship in New York and won, winning herself $50,000.

Moore went on to the worldwide texting championship, held in January. Together with teammate Morgan Dynda, Moore went on to place second, behind a team from Korea and they shared a $20,000 payout.

That brought Kate Moore up to a total of $60,000 in prize winnings for her super fast texting abilities.

The phrase that won Moore the National Texting Championship

This phrase took her less than 60 seconds to type was “Zippity Dooo Dahh Zippity Ayy…My oh MY, what a wonderful day! Plenty of sunshine Comin’ my way…ZippittyDooDahZippityAay! Wonderful feeling, Wonderful day!”

Want to try your fingers at texting?

Try out your mad skills on the LG Texting Games Facebook page: http://apps.facebook.com/lgtexter/games

Follow the LG Texting Championship page on Facebook. You might not win $60,000, but you might win a $100 gift card.

DailyTech recently detailed studies which have argued that “textisms”, which include shortenings, contractions, acronyms, symbols and non-conventional spellings, are becoming a language of their own. Now a new study shows that, despite public fears that texting is destroying children’s language skills it actually is having beneficial effects.

Dr. Beverley Plester, the lead author of the report and senior lecturer at Coventry University, states, “The alarm in the media is based on selected anecdotes but actually when we look for examples of text speak in essays we don’t seem to find very many.”

Texting helps children as it exposes them to a variety of words, she says. She continues, “The more exposure you have to the written word the more literate you become and we tend to get better at things that we do for fun. What we think of as misspellings, don’t really break the rules of language and children have a sophisticated understanding of the appropriate use of words.”

The study looked at 88 children age between the ages of 10 to 12. It asked them to generate text messages describing 10 different scenarios. The study showed that children who regularly texted showcased a richer vocabulary, the ability to better express thoughts in writing, and were aware of the proper spelling of the words they were shortening in most cases. The children were also given traditional schoolwork and again the texting students showed an edge.

The study is published in the British Journal of Developmental Psychology.

Similar recent studies at the University of Toronto have shown that instant messaging may also provide children with a similar beneficial effect.

We all love text messaging and we all know a few clever abbreviations that communicate a lot of information is a just a few letters. But lets face it, we can communicate infinitely easier if we are willing to brush up on some new text lingo. So consider this your text message translator. Of course I cant cover everything here but this should be enough to wet your whistle for more texting knowledge.

Lets start with the basics. These are the standards. If you don’t know these, you’ve been living in a cave:

LOL: Laughing Out Loud
LMAO: Laughing My Ass Off
ROFLMAO: Rolling On Floor Laughing My Ass Off
TTYL: Talk To You Later
?: I don’t understand.

Here are a few possibly useful ones you may not be familiar with yet:

AWK: at work
2BC: To be continued
NMJC: Not much, just chillin
PMP: Peeing my pants
NALOPKT: Not a lot of people know that.
TDTM: Talk dirty to me.
INBM: I need bail money
TCOY: Take care of yourself

A few new ones from the DERF LABS. Join me in my quest to popularize these text abbreviations. Use each of them this week and youll be on your way:

TFABC?: Time for a booty call?
ITWSSOP: I think we should see other people. (The single greatest way to break up)
LBJF: Lets just be friends.
DPTF: Derf Party this Friday.
DYHASTDS?: Do you have any STDs
IJGADUI: I just got a DUI.

Semi-truck drivers and large trucking companies are warned to take more precautions while driving. Recent studies demonstrate that approximately 100,000 individuals are severely injured as a result of large trucking accidents each year. Because of their sheer size and force, large commercial trucks that are in accidents tend to result in fatalities.

Although commercial trucks make up a mere 3% of all motor vehicle registrations, they make up 12% of all annual traffic fatalities.

Federal and state governments are making strides towards making our streets safer by enacting laws and regulations that require truck drivers to to take precautions in order to avoid distracted driving and fatigue.

According to the USDOT, distracted driving comes in 3 types: Visual- taking eyes off the road; Manual- taking hands off the steering wheel; and Cognitive- taking mind off of activity. Texting by truck drivers is so inherently dangerous because it combines all 3 types of distractions.

Research from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration demonstrates that drivers who text while driving take their eyes off the road an average of 5 out of every 6 seconds. At 55 miles per hour, this means that the truck would travel the length of a football field without the driver ever looking at the road. Research also demonstrates that truck drivers are 20X more likely to be involved in an accident if they are texting on their cell phone.

Included on the 2009 National Transportation Safety Board’s (NTSB) Most Wanted List of Transportation Safety Improvements was a ban on commercial truck driver texting. The NTSB requested that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration prohibit cell phone use by large commercial truck and bus drivers.

In January 2010, the Department of Transportation enacted an interim cell phone use ban on commercial truck and bus drivers. The USDOT announced on March 31, 2010 that its interim ban on truck driver texting was to become permanent. The ban applies to drivers of interstate commercial trucks and buses over 10,000 pounds. If a truck driver is caught texting while driving, he will now face up to $2,750 in fines. If the truck driver was indeed texting while driving and caused an accident, punitive damages must be awarded in order to send a clear message that texting while driving a large truck is inherently dangerous and will not be tolerated.

About The Author

Randy Rozek, Wisconsin Truck Accident Attorney and owner of Rozek Law Offices SC, invites you to visit http://rozeklaw.com/wisconsin-truck-accident-lawyer.htm for more articles and legal information on Wisconsin Truck Accidents. You may also feel free to contact Attorney Rozek via the contact form or live chat for legal advice.

New 2010 – Georgia Governor Signs Texting and Cell Phone Bills into Law

Governor Perdue has signed two new distracted driving bills into law. The bills are Senate Bill 360 and House Bill 23. Senate Bill 360, the Caleb Sorohan Act, prohibits writing, sending, or reading a text message while operating a motor vehicle. House Bill 23 prohibits teenagers 18-year-old and younger from using a wireless device while driving. To read the details of the new laws please go to Georgia Texting Law.

New 2010 – Connecticut Governor Signs Texting Bill into Law

Governor Rell has signed Senate Bill 427 into law. An operator of a motor vehicle will be ticketed if they type, send or read text messages on a hand-held mobile telephone or mobile electronic device while a vehicle is in motion. To read the details of the new law please visit the Connecticut Texting Law page.

New 2010 – Vermont Governor Signs Texting Bill into Law

Governor Douglas has signed Senate Bill 280 into law. The new Vermont Driving Law prohibits texting on a cell phone or other electronic device while driving, The new law also prohibits drivers under the age of 18 from using any electronic communication devices while operating a motor vehicle. To read the details of the new law please go to the Vermont Texting Law.

New 2010 – Kansas Governor Signs Texting Bill into Law

Governor Parkinson has signed Senate Bill 300 into law. The new law prohibits the reading, writing and sending of Text messages while driving. In addition, teen drivers in Kansas are now required to wear protective equipment while operating a motor-cycle. To read the details of the new laws, please go to Kansas Texting Law.

New 2010 – Maryland Governor Signs Hand Held Cell Phone Ban into Law

The Governor of Maryland has signed Senate Bill 321 into law. The new law prohibits the use of hand held devices while operating a motor vehicle. The new cell phone laws is a secondary offense and goes into effect on October of 2010. For details please go to Maryland Cell Phone Law

New 2010 – Wisconsin Governor Signs Texting Ban into Law

The Governor of Wisconsin has signed Assembly Bill 496 into law. The new law prohibits all drivers from composing or sending an electronic text message while driving. To read the details of the new law please go to Wisconsin Texting Law.

New 2010 – Michigan Governor Signs Texting Bill into Law

On April 30th 2010 Governor Granholm signed Michigan House Bill 4394 into law. The new law prohibits all drivers from reading, writing and sending text messages while operating a motor vehicle. To read the details of the new law please go to the Michigan Texting Law.

New 2010 – Kentucky Governor Signs Cell Phone / Texting Bill into Law

On April 15th, 2010 Governor Beshear signed House Bill 415 into law. The new law prohibits drivers under the age of 18 from using a cell phone while operating a motor vehicle and it also prohibits all drivers from Texting while driving. To read the details of the new law please go to Kentucky Texting law.

New 2010 – Oklahoma Governor Signs Distracted Driving Bill into Law

Governor Henry has signed House Bill 2276 into law. The new law does not specifically ban texting or cell phone use but stipulates that “The operator of every vehicle, while driving, shall devote their full time and attention to such driving“. To read the details of the new law please go to the Oklahoma Distracted Driving Law.

New 2010 – Nebraska Governor Signs Texting Bill into Law

Governor Heineman has signed Legislative Bill 945 into law. The new law prohibits drivers from using a handheld wireless communication device to read, manually type, or send a written communication while operating a motor vehicle which is in motion. To read more about the new Nebraska Text Messaging Law please go to Nebraska Texting Law.

New 2010 – Wyoming Governor Signs Texting Bill into Law

Governor Freudenthal has signed a new bill into law that prohibits writing, sending or reading text messages while operating a motor vehicle. The new law goes into effect July 1st, 2010. Read about the new Wyoming Texting Law

2010 Distracted Driving Legislation on the Move

New 2010 – Washington Governor Signs Cell Phone / Texting Bill into Law

In 2010 the State of Washington has changed their existing Cell Phone / Text messaging law to a Primary Offense. Read About the new Washington Cell Phone / Texting Law

In 2010 there are many States that have new distracted driving bills on their agenda. For a listing of 2009 / 2010 new cell phone, text messaging and hands free laws, please see our 2009-2010 New Driving Laws Page.

New 2010 – Iowa Governor Signs Texting Bill into Law

Iowa Governor Chet Culver has signed House File 2456 into law.

The new Iowa Driving Law bans all drivers in the State of Iowa from reading, writing or sending text messages or email while operating a motor vehicle. For more information please see our Iowa Text Messaging Law Page.

To read the Bill, Please go to Iowa House File 2456.

2009 / 2010 New Driving Laws

Arkansas | Colorado | Connecticut | Illinois | Maryland | Maine | New Hampshire

North Carolina | Oregon | Rhode Island | Tennessee | Texas | Utah | Virginia

Washington | Wisconsin

Hands Free Device Information

What is a Hands Free Device? For information regarding Hands Free Cell Phones, Bluetooth Headsets or if you are interested in Becoming Hands Free, please visit the appropriate links highlighted in blue.

This section of the DrivingLaws.org website deals specifically with Cell Phone, Text Messaging and Hands Free Laws in the United States. Just click on your State of Interest in the far left-hand column.

Please keep in mind that laws are always changing and we do our best to stay up to date on the current and pending legislation in each state.

If you do find that we have made a mistake or failed to include information in your state, please feel free to email for any updates, corrections or potential legal misinterpretations.

Text Messaging Laws

For the most part text messaging laws are straight-forward, “Text Messaging is not Allowed While Driving”, although the legislation tends to be much more wordy than that. Currently 19 States have a text messaging law, the following states are included;

Alaska, Arkansas, California , Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, DC, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, and West Virginia

Current Cell Phone Law Information

Cell Phone laws can be confusing, mostly because their not really “Cell Phone” laws anymore, their more like an “Electronic Hand Held Device” laws, or insert name of latest distracting gadget here laws. I will refer to them Cell Phone laws in my text for simplicity’s sake.

Cell Phone Laws

A simple example of a cell phone law exists in many states and is often intended for the novice driver. The law basically states that you are not allowed to talk on a cell phone while you are driving. With every cell phone law there are exceptions for emergency situations. Some states differentiate between primary and secondary enforcement laws.

A Primary Enforcement Cell Phone Law – You may be pulled over and ticketed if an officer of the law sees you using a cell phone while you are driving.

A Secondary Enforcement Cell Phone Law – You may be pulled over and ticketed only if you are observed violating another primary law such as speeding or running a stop sign.

You may also refer to these laws as a “Hand Held Ban”, which may or may-not make allowances for hands free devices and often depends on your age.

The following States have a Hand Held Ban – California, Connecticut, DC, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Washington.

Hands Free Cell Phone Laws

In my first example of a simple cell phone law, you could not use a cell phone under any circumstance.

In States, such as California or Washington you may use a cell phone while you are driving if you have a Hands Free Device. Again, this may only be the case if you are a certain age or maintain full driver license privileges.



Texting is probably the coolest and hippest craze that not only conquers US but the world. People from all walks of life: students, professionals, laborers, housewives and even children are caught in this hype. So what’s with texting that has caught the fancy of millions of texters worldwide? Each one of us might have different reasons but have one sure thing in common, is Text Messaging. Text messaging has revolutionized the human communication.

Texting has helped break the barrier that had kept us from reaching out to people whenever and wherever we want. Before the advent of text messaging, one had to wait for several days to get a response for the message/ letter sent. With the development of text messaging, the response time is just a matter of few seconds.

Text messaging had narrowed the gaps between the sender and receiver. It has destroyed the so-called virtual wall existing between individuals from interacting with one another. Today due to this advancement in mobile technology, “there ain’t no mountain high enough, ain’t not river wide enough”for you to keep in touch with family, friends, associates and anyone who you want to get in touch with.