It is illegal to text and drive in Virginia. However, it turns out that the technicalities of the distracted driving law make it difficult for police to prevent distracted driving accidents. For example, texting while driving is a secondary offense in Virginia. That means that the driver must have committed another (primary) offense before being pulled over and ticketed.How Successful Has the No Texting While Driving Law Been So Far?In the first eight months of 2010, Fairfax County officials ticketed 16 people for texting while driving. Yet police are still cracking down on Fairfax County texting and driving. They are simply using an older law that allows them to ticket a driver who fails to pay full time and attention to driving. It doesn’t matter if the driver is texting, talking on a cell phone, or simply otherwise distracted for this law to be enforced.Stepped Up Enforcement May Still be UsefulWhile there are significant loopholes in the texting while driving law, the law aims to prevent serious and fatal Virginia distracted driving accidents. To that end, Fairfax County is conducting a media campaign to raise awareness of the law and to attempt to protect people from the dangers of distracted driving.
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