RICHMOND—The 2021 law banning the use of hand-held communications devices while driving on Virginia’s roadways was a good start toward altering motorist behavior and reducing distracted driving crashes.

Now a culture shift is needed to reframe what the public views as acceptable when it comes to digital distractions inside vehicles.

Traffic safety and law enforcement officials discussed the ban’s viability at Drive Smart Virginia’s 11th Annual Distracted Driving Summit, recently held in Richmond. Virginia Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Co. co-sponsored the summit.

Danny Sharp, retired chief of the Oro Valley Police Department in Arizona, said he remembers when alcohol-related traffic fatalities were simply considered “unfortunate accidents.” But public attitudes toward impaired driving have changed over the decades.

“It has to become socially unacceptable to kill somebody while driving under the influence of electronics as well,” Sharp said in a panel discussion. “The reaction of seeing someone driving down the freeway drinking a beer needs to be the same as seeing someone driving and texting.”

He was instrumental in crafting a local ordinance that ultimately became a statewide hand-held phone ban. Virginia’s law was drafted using Arizona’s as a template.

Distracted driving accounts for about 17% of all traffic crashes in the state, dropping slightly since 2021, according to Virginia Crash Facts. In 2023, 61 fatalities and 7,200 injuries resulted from 21,528 distracted driving crashes.

The Department of Motor Vehicles assigns three demerit points for the primary offense, plus fines starting at $125.

“And there are other consequences to that,” said Dana Schrad, Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police executive director. “Not the least of which is insurance.”

Insurance companies often view drivers who use their phones while driving as high-risk, which can lead to higher premiums.

Henrico County Police Lt. Rob Netherland said in the law’s first year, about 900 summonses were issued to local motorists who violated the ban on hand-held devices.

“Now we’re down to about 400, and that’s a good thing,” he said. “The message is getting out there.”

He said some motorists mistakenly believe the hand-held law only applies specifically to texting while driving.

“Programming a GPS or dialing a phone number while driving—you can’t do that either,” Netherland explained.

Unless reporting an emergency, drivers must be lawfully parked or stopped to handle their phone behind the wheel.

Sharp said 34 U.S. states and the District of Columbia have enacted hands-free driving laws. As Virginia motorists adjust their behavior, public officials continue driving the message home.

“You know the old saying,” Schrad concluded. “Ignorance of the law is no excuse.”

Media: Contact Sharp at 520-954-6261; Schrad at 804-709-1090; or Rich Jacobs, DSV, at 804-929-2988.