Woman Gets $1,251 Ticket For Using Her Phone While Driving. Then She Sees The Photo: 'Meanwhile Teslas Are An iPad With Wheels'

Traffic enforcement cameras are getting better at catching drivers using their phones. They're also, apparently, getting better at catching drivers who aren't.

One woman’s recent traffic ticket begs the question: What counts as distracted driving?

In a TikTok with more than 4.9 million views, Krista Campbell (@kristakampz) shares the ticket she received in the mail and the photo that came with it.

"Just got a $1,250 ticket in the mail for having my phone on my lap face down and both hands on the steering wheel," Campbell says in the video. "Pretty cool."

The actual photo printed on the ticket is green screened as the background. Her phone appears to be in her lap and both her hands are on the wheel.

"Is this karma for my red light rage bait?” she asks in the caption.

Distracted Driving Laws By State

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, distracted driving killed 3,208 people in 2024 and injured another 315,167.

The Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) adds that at any given moment during daylight hours, more than 537,000 drivers—nearly the population of Wyoming—are visibly manipulating a cell phone on US roads. When someone reads a text at 55 mph, their eyes are off the road for about five seconds, the equivalent of driving the length of a football field blind.

But the legal side is patchy. According to GHSA, distracted driving laws fall into two main categories: handheld bans and texting bans. States aren't uniform on either. Thirty-three states, Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Washington, D.C. ban handheld cell phone use for all drivers, all but two with primary enforcement, meaning an officer can pull you over for it absent any other violation. Texting bans are more widespread: 49 states and DC have them, though not all are primary enforcement.

What makes Campbell's situation complicated is how broadly or narrowly her jurisdiction defines "using" a phone. 

New York's law defines "using" a device to include holding it in a “conspicuous manner”. Washington state defines "using" to include holding the device in either hand. Georgia's law specifically prohibits "physically holding or supporting" a wireless device.

It appears that no state directly prohibits having a phone or other device in your lap.

Why Is The Fine So High?

A $1,251 ticket is on the high end of the spectrum. Justia's survey shows that first-offense fines range from $20 in some states to several hundred dollars in others, with penalties climbing sharply for repeat offenses, violations in school or work zones, or incidents that cause injury or death.

Many were stunned by the fine.

“Over a thousand dollars??? Seems excessive, might I say, cruel and unusual?” commented one.

Others felt that her ticket speaks more broadly to concerns about traffic camera citations.

“This is what happens when AI is allowed to write tickets without human intervention,” one person wrote.

“What state is this so I can never come there,” another said.

“Meanwhile Teslas are an iPad with wheels,” wrote a third.

Motor1 reached out to Campbell for comment via Instagram and TikTok direct message. We'll be sure to update this if she responds.