
With the start of Maryland's new texting while driving ban, there's a new push in Virginia to reduce the number of so-called 'distracted drivers' on the Beltway.
Virginia's new Distracted Driver campaign targets the habits of 56 percent of all drivers on the Capital Beltway who say they regularly use their cell phones or text while driving.
Triple A Mid-Atlantic's Lon Anderson says it's a dangerous activity, especially around highway construction. "The idea here is to just remind drivers that you shouldn't be doing anything else but driving when you're on the Capital Beltway, and two, when you're in a construction zone, holy smokes...just hang up!"
Meanwhile, a two-day seminar on the subject sponsored by U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood begins Wednesday, and a new law that bans texting while driving in Maryland goes into effect Thursday.
Eighteen states including Virginia have laws that ban cell phone use and, or texting while driving.
Elliott Francis reports...

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