The director of the Minnesota Office of Traffic Safety says it'll be perfectly clear.
"You may not have your phone in either hand while you are in traffic, part of traffic, or in the road," said Mike Hanson on the WCCO Morning News with Vineeta Sawkar.
The clarification of the original 2019 hands-free law goes into effect on Aug. 1 following its approval during the recent legislative session.
"Initially, we saw a really good response from Minnesotans," Hanson said. "Then COVID and everything else that happened came along, and I think we lost a little bit of ground there."
Hanson said some of the language in the original hands-free law was ambiguous, and clearing that up only strengthens the statute.
"It provides us with another avenue to raise public awareness," he said. "Because, really, this is what it's going to take to reduce and prevent distracted driving, public education and people knowing what they can and can't do."
Under the re-write, a cellphone can be used by someone driving a motor vehicle on Minnesota roads only by using voice activation or single-touch activation.
Records show that distracted driving was the fourth-leading cause of traffic deaths in Minnesota in 2021.