On January 1st, Virgina’s new Hands Free law went into effect. This prohibits use of a cell phone while driving for any reason. This includes GPS, music, texting, emails–any handheld cell phone use is illegal while driving. Handheld cell phone use is a primary offense, meaning police can pull you over if they see you on your phone. The penalty is a $125 fine for the first offense and $250 for the second, or if you were caught in a construction zone. Learn more about the specifics of this law and distracted driving at phonedown.org.
More than 400,000 people were injured in crashes involving distracted driving in 2018, according to the National Traffic Highway Safety Administration. In Virginia, distracted driving accounts for more than 1,500 crashes and 7-10 fatalities a year. We hope this new Hands Free law will help prevent those crashes.
Keep yourself and your neighbors safe on the road–put your phone away! Pull over if you need to use your cell phone and avoid the fine.