RIGHT NOW ON OUR WEBSITE, WYFF4.COM. IN JUST A FEW WEEKS, SOUTH CAROLINA’S NEW HANDS FREE DRIVING LAW WILL GO INTO EFFECT. THIS LAW BANS PEOPLE FROM HOLDING THEIR PHONES WHILE THEY ARE DRIVING. AND TODAY, OFFICIALS TALKED ABOUT WHAT’S ALLOWED AND WHAT’S NOT ALLOWED UNDER THIS NEW LAW. A REY LLERENA JOINS US LIVE IN GREENVILLE WITH MORE. RAY. STATE TROOPERS TELL ME THAT HANDS FREE DEVICES SUCH AS A CAR MOUNT OR APPLE CARPLAY ARE ALLOWED AS PART OF THIS NEW LAW. BUT TROOPERS SAY IF THEY SEE SOMEONE WITH A PHONE IN THEIR HANDS WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD, THEN THEY WILL BE GETTING A TICKET. PHONES DOWN YOU CAN USE BLUETOOTH OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT, BUT YOU CANNOT PHYSICALLY POSSESS A CELL PHONE IN EITHER HAND. AS YOU’RE OPERATING YOUR VEHICLE. PERIOD. STARTING IN SEPTEMBER, IT WILL BE AGAINST THE LAW TO HOLD A PHONE WHILE DRIVING IN SOUTH CAROLINA. WE NEED TO SEE THAT PHONE IN THEIR HAND. RIGHT? AND THAT WILL BE PRETTY EASY TO SEE. AND IT HAPPENS QUITE OFTEN THROUGHOUT THE DAY AS AS YOU DRIVE AROUND AND PATROL. FINES START AT $100 AND ESCALATE UP TO $200 AND TWO POINTS ON SOMEONE’S LICENSE. OFFICIALS SAY USING A PHONE WHILE AT A STOPLIGHT OR PARKED IS ALLOWED UNDER THE NEW LAW. IT’S ABOUT TIME THE HANDS FREE BILL GOT HERE, BECAUSE THIS THING IS DEADLY. STATE REPRESENTATIVE BILL TAYLOR OF LEXINGTON AND AIKEN COUNTIES WAS ONE OF THE BILL’S SPONSORS. THE INSURANCE COMPANIES WILL TELL YOU THEY’VE HAD TO RAISE THE RATES FOR EVERYBODY. SO EVERYBODY’S PAYING FOR THIS BECAUSE THEY PAY HIGHER INSURANCE RATES BECAUSE OF DISTRACTED DRIVING AND THE INJURIES AND DEATHS THAT OCCUR. TAYLOR ALSO SAYS FEDERAL FUNDING WAS AT RISK IF THE LAW DIDN’T PASS. THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT SAYS WE’RE GOING TO WITHHOLD YOUR HIGHWAY FUNDS $50 MILLION THE FIRST YEAR, 100 MILLION FOR EACH YEAR THEREAFTER. TROOPERS SAY THEY’RE ALSO GLAD THAT THE LAW IS ABOUT TO TAKE EFFECT. IT’S BETTER LATE THAN NEVER, OBVIOUSLY, BUT YEAH, IN MY IN MY OPINION, AS A AS A STATE TROOPER OF ALMOST 15 YEARS, THIS IS SOMETHING WE PROBABLY COULD AT LEAST DID 5 OR 10 YEARS AGO. RAY, IS THERE A GRACE PERIOD ONCE THIS LAW GOES INTO EFFECT IN SEPTEMBER? CAN YOU TELL US MORE ABOUT THAT? YEAH. STATE TROOPERS TELL ME THAT THERE WILL BE A 180 DAY GRACE PERIOD ONCE THIS LAW TAKES EFFECT ON SEPTEMBER 1ST. SO COME MARCH 2ND, THEY SAY THAT’S WHEN THOSE FINES WILL START COUNTING. REPORTIN