“This bill will save lives,” said Del. Jeff Bourne of Richmond, who sponsored the House version. 

Drivers in the District use their cell phones about 2.26 times during trips, according to Life360.

Pulled over in Virginia for texting while driving? Just say you were looking at a map or trying to place a phone call!

Maryland and Virginia are both on their way to beefing up laws governing the use of cell phones by motorists, and may soon join D.C. in creating an entire region where using a phone while driving is reason enough for a police officer to pull you over.

Even though they know better, as many as 43 percent of teen drivers surveyed admit they send and read text messages while operating their vehicles, according to a new report commissioned by AT&T.

Despite government campaigns and laws banning it, plenty of drivers are still using their cell phones while driving—including young drivers.

Talking or texting on your cell phone while driving is illegal in the District. It’s also very dangerous, a point that Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has been driving home with his nationwide Distracted Driving campaign. But for LaHood, just telling people not to do it isn’t enough — he pounces into action on weekend forays around town.

It’s already against the law in the District to send text messages or speak on a phone without a hands-free device, but the National Transportation Safety Board is pushing for an across-the-board ban on the use of electronic devices in cars.

The tragic death of 64-year-old Trudi Rishikof after being hit by a car on Connecticut Avenue last week only seems to get more complex by the day. Well, the details of what happened are pretty clear — she was crossing in crosswalk and was hit by a driver that is thought to have been using a cellphone at the time. It’s everything else that’s complicated.