Get a car insurance quote – Drivers in Illinois, Kansas, New Hampshire and Oregon will celebrate the new year with a slew of new cell phone laws for 2010 that ban the use of handheld phones and text messaging while driving.

Here are a few new driving laws that will take effect on January 1, 2010:

• New Oregon Laws 2010: Oregon is banning the use of handheld devices for all drivers, including text messaging. Also, drivers under 18 cannot use a cell phone of any type while driving.
• New Illinois Laws 2010: Illinois will ban the use of handheld cell phones in school and construction zones.
• New Kansas Laws 2010: Kansas will ban cell phone use, including text messaging, for drivers who have learner’s permits and intermediate licenses.
• New Hampshire Laws 2010: New Hampshire will ban text messaging for all drivers.

There are now statewide bans on driving while talking on a hand-held cellular phone in seven states–California, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Utah, Washington and the District of Columbia–and texting is banned for all drivers in 19 states.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, almost 6,000 Americans died in 2008 in auto accidents involving a distracted driver. In that same year, more than 500,000 drivers were injured in similar crashes.