Virginia is following suit with many other states by enforcing a "No Texting" law as of Monday July 1st. Previously the police could not pull you over for merely texting. That changes Monday. Police may pull you over for texting while driving.
There will be a $125 fine for the first citation. Drivers will not have to hand over their phones after being pulled over, but tickets will be written and the police will leave the decision making up to the judge.
This new law will become primary law as of Monday and the question stands: Will this curb accidents? Will the law really prevent road accidents when drivers will still be able to use their GPS and even dial a number on their smart phone?
I invite all those with an opinion on the matter to sound off on the Checkered FlagFacebook page. Hampton Roads has smart drivers and this blogger is curious as to how you feel on the matter.
Here is the current Distracted Driving Laws: Some localities have additional regulations.
Hand-held Cell Phone Use: 11 states, D.C., Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands prohibit all drivers from using hand-held cell phones while driving. Beginning in October 2013, all laws will be primary enforcement-an officer may cite a driver for using a hand-held cell phone without any other traffic offense taking place.
All Cell Phone Use: No state bans all cell phone use for all drivers, but 37 states and D.C. ban all cell phone use by novice drivers, and 19 states and D.C. prohibit it for school bus drivers.
Text Messaging: Washington was the first state to pass a texting ban in 2007. Currently, 41 states, D.C., Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands ban text messaging for all drivers. All but 4 have primary enforcement.
An additional 6 states prohibit text messaging by novice drivers.
3 states restrict school bus drivers from texting.
This is some pretty interesting data. Chime in Checkered Flag fans and tell us what you think.