April is Distracted Driver Awareness Month, which means the Virginia Department of Transportation is looking to spread tips and awareness about distracted drivers.
Since 2001, Virginia law has prohibited drivers from holding their phones while driving, so if a cop catches you on your phone when you should be paying attention to the road, get ready to literally pay the consequences.
“A conviction for this offense can carry a $125 fine for the first offense and a $250 fine for a second or subsequent offense,” VDOT Manager of External Communications Amy Friedenberger said.
Paying a fine, however, could be the best-case scenario.
“In 2025, there were over 17,000 crashes,” Friedenberger said. “There were 116 fatalities and over 12,000 injuries that were attributed to a distracted driver in Virginia.”
Friedenberger attributes multiple factors to distracted driving, but a majority of those factors can be traced back to phone use.
“Oftentimes, it’s people who are texting. But we’re also seeing more and more people are browsing social media while they’re driving or watching videos,” Friedenberger said. “They’ve got a movie streaming or playing games on their phone.”
VDOT says that 66% of drivers admit to driving while distracted, and a whopping 88% of people say that phone use while driving is extremely dangerous.
With April being Distracted Driver Awareness Month, VDOT wants to give some tips for keeping yourself safe on the road.
“If you have to send a phone, or a text message, or an email, pull your car over and park in a safe location and do it,” Friedenberger said. “VDOT has dozens of rest areas across our highway system. You can pull over and do anything that you need to do.”