Texting While Driving in Manassas
October 21, 2021 by Jean Humbrecht
Texting While Driving in Manassas (Va. Code §46.2-818.2) is a traffic infraction. The statute is actually extremely broad and prohibits holding a handheld personal communication device at all while driving-even if you are not texting. The Commonwealth does not need to prove that you were texting, talking on the phone, or anything. Just having your phone in your hand while driving is enough for a conviction.
Texting While Driving in Manassas Is Punished with a Fine and DMV Points
The law does not apply to someone legally stopped or parked, a person reporting an emergency, using an amateur or citizens band radio, an operator of an emergency vehicle engaged in the performance of his or her official duties, and some operators of Department of Transportation vehicles.
Penalty for Texting While Driving in Manassas
Using a handheld communication device (including but not limited to texting) while driving in Manassas (Va. Code §46.2-818.2) is a traffic infraction and is punished with a $125 fine. A second or subsequent conviction is punished with a $250 fine. Violating this statute in a highway work zone is punished with a mandatory $250 fine.
There is also a mandatory $250 fine if a person is convicted of Reckless Driving and was simultaneously found to be in violation of the texting while driving law.
Additionally, a conviction for violating this statute will result in 3 DMV demerit points and the conviction will remain on the person’s driving record for 3 years.
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