Under California law, driving while using a handheld cell phone is:
-
A.
Allowed if you use the speaker function.
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B.
Allowed on freeways only.
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C.
Unsafe and illegal. Correct
The answer is "Unsafe and illegal."
California law makes driving while using a handheld cell phone unsafe and illegal, with no exception for road type or speaker mode. Drivers who pick A equate tapping speakerphone with hands-free operation, missing that the rule turns on whether the phone is in your hand, not how the audio plays.
The traps in the wrong answers
A. Allowed if you use the speaker function.
Speaker mode does not free your hand from the phone; the ban applies to any handheld use. This answer treats tapping speakerphone as equivalent to hands-free operation, since neither requires holding the phone to your ear.
B. Allowed on freeways only.
The manual sets no freeway exception; the handheld ban applies on every road. This answer assumes phone rules target dense urban driving with pedestrians and intersections, so an open freeway with light traffic must be the exempt setting.
This question tests your knowledge of Distracted Driving in California. Source: California Driver Manual, "Cell Phones and Texting," p.70..
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