Fight it

Whose phone were you talking on?

You obviously looked distracted! And use tile. I have the iPhone find my phone (which is for all iThings), and tile app installed on my phone which works on Android, so I have 2 good ways to find my phone in the even I lose it. I can even ring my phone with my tile on my key ring.

If you are indeed innocent & not just using word play... take him to court. The accuser has the burden of proof.

Fight the ticket. Tell the judge what you told the officer and that they gave you a ticket when there was no evidence of a phone even being in the vehicle.

Should be able to beat that ticket fairly easily, because you can get the records for your phone that will show it wasn't in use at the time you were ticketed.

make-up counts as a distraction too hey

You should be able to fight it in court very easily. However when you go to court make sure you bring a printout of all calls for that day. You should be able to get that from your phone provider.

If you didn't have your phone, contact your service provider and get a copy of your calls for an hour each side of the ticketed time. No calls? No phone. No crime.