Distracted driving remains a problem 3 months into Virginia's 'hands-free' law
ARLINGTON, Va. (7News) — Distracted driving is on the rise, which is why the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is kicking off a nationwide push to improve safety on the roads.
Holding your phone while driving is illegal in Maryland and Washington, D.C. In January, Virginia banned motorists from holding a device while driving.
The Alexandria Police Department told 7News distracted driving is still a problem three months into Virginia’s hands-free law that requires drivers to put their phones down while driving.
"We are seeing it. We are seeing it frequently,” said Lt. Jason North, who is asking motorists to comply with the new law for their safety and the safety of other motorists, pedestrians and cyclists sharing the road.
Since January 1, 2021, the Alexandria Police Department has issued 40 handheld citations and 20 warnings.
- Arlington County Police Department issued 228 citations
- Prince William County Police Department issued 112 citations
- Fauquier County issued at least 23 citations
- Loudon County Sheriff’s Office issued 90 citations and 186 warnings
“One split second with your eyes off the road can cause a dangerous situation,” said Sgt. Tara Gerhard with the Fairfax County Police Department. “Our officers’ number one goal is to maintain safe roads here in Fairfax County. And since the law took effect on January 1st, our officers have written over 415 tickets, which is about an average of 138 a month."
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If you get caught holding your device while driving in Virginia, the ticket could cost you $125. The price goes up to $250 in a work zone.
“Driving safely is important. Everything else can wait,” said Robert Ritter, who is the Director of the Office of Impaired Driving and Occupant Protection at the NHTSA.
The NHTSA reports ten percent of all crashes in 2019 were distracted related and 566 pedestrians and cyclists were killed by distracted drivers in 2019.
“And some of those numbers might be low. It's difficult for law enforcement officers to determine if there was distracted driving involved in the crash,” said Ritter. “Everyone can be distracted while they're driving, but we do know that younger drivers - novice drivers - are more susceptible to some of those distractions."
That’s why some Virginia Schools are also kicking off an education campaign of their own in April to encourage teen drivers and soon-to-be drivers to wear their seatbelts, don’t speed, and don’t drive distracted.
"Especially during the summer months when they tend to drive more recklessly, or they tend to engage in behaviors that are not always safe,” said Jeanine Popescu, a Math Teacher at Walker-Grant Middle School in Fredericksburg, Virginia.
Walker-Grant Middle School is a participant in the 'Arrive Alive' campaign, sponsored by Youth of Virginia Speak Out About Traffic Safety (YOVASO).
"Throughout the campaign, high school students will lead peer-to-peer programs on speed prevention and seat belt use while middle school students will focus their messaging on being a safe passenger and always buckling up," according to the Arrive Alive campaign.
“Although young driver-related crashes were down in 2020 in Virginia, we had an alarming 12 percent increase in fatalities among young drivers to risky behaviors such as speeding and not wearing a seat belt,” said Mary King, YOVASO program manager. “If we are going to save lives, we need our youth to use their positive influence to change these high-risk behaviors and attitudes.”
King said, "all teens are encouraged to get involved in Arrive Alive by asking friends and peers to buckle up and leading efforts in schools and communities to make speeding and other dangerous driving behaviors unacceptable."
