As of July 1, 2013, texting while driving is a primary offense in Virginia. This means that an officer can pull you over just for texting while driving; you don't need to be breaking any other laws. One possible consequence to this new law is that officers may use texting while driving as a pretextual stop. A pretextual stop is when a police officer pulls a driver over for a minor traffic offense with the intent of investigating a separate criminal offense. So, an officer can pull someone over for texting while driving, but have the goal of investing a larger crime like a DWI or drug possession.
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