A ban on handheld cell phone use by drivers will be one of the first bills lawmakers in the North Carolina General Assembly will be take up next year. Texting and driving is against the law in North Carolina. But talking on the phone is still legal for most motorists, and supporters of stronger restrictions say that is still very dangerous behavior. Neighboring Georgia passed a hands free ban that took effect earlier this year, making it the first state in the southeast to do so. Jennifer Smith