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Virginia Driving and Cell Phone Laws
Update - July 1st 2009 New Text Messaging Law Goes into EffectVirginia - House Bill 1876 - Listed below is the summary supplied by the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) Prohibits operation of a motor vehicle, bicycle, electric personal assistive mobility device, electric power-assisted bicycle, or moped on the highways in the Commonwealth while using any wireless telecommunications device for the purpose of composing or sending any text message or email, provides exemptions for the use of global positioning systems and using a wireless telecommunications device to report an emergency. Violations of the new law will result in a $20 fine for the first offense and a $50 fine for a second or subsequent offense. Like cell phone laws there are exceptions for emergency and law enforcement agencies.
Virginia - Senate Bill 136 - Another bill that was enacted in 2008 was Senate Bill 136. This law prohibits the use of wireless telecommunications devices by persons driving school buses. According to the law: "No person shall use any wireless telecommunications device, whether handheld or otherwise, while driving a school bus, except in case of an emergency, or when the vehicle is lawfully parked and for the purposes of dispatching. Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit the use of twoway radio devices authorized by the owner of the school bus." To read the bill, please go to Senate Bill 136. More Virginia Cell-Phone Driving InformationThe State of Virginia does have a cell-phone law. The law, based on legislation from Senate Bill 1039 was signed by the Governor on 3/23/07. The new law prohibits holders of a learners permit and drivers under the age of 18 from using a mobile cell phone while operating a motor vehicle. This cell phone law is a secondary offense, meaning the driver must be pulled over for a primary offense such as speeding or running a red light before being ticketed for the cell-phone violation. This law does not provide exceptions for hands-free devices. Like many cell phone laws across the United States there are exceptions for emergency situations and you can use your cell phone if the vehicle is lawfully parked or stopped. One law that was not enacted in 2006 was Senate Bill 16. The bill prohibited the use of hand-held phones while operating a motor vehicle. It also required that information about cell phone involvement be included in crash statistics. If the bill had passed it would have required a study about the impact of cell-phone use on traffic safety. Other Information on Virginia's Cell-Phone Driving Law
Here is the State of Virginia's government website that has information regarding Virginia's cell-phone driving law. State Website- Virginia's Cell-Phone Driving Law Other State of Virginia Information on this WebsiteVirginia SR22 and FR44 Insurance Virginia Drunk Driving Laws, Penalties & Fines Virginia Teen Driving Laws and Insurance Requirements
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