CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Using a handheld cell phone while driving became illegal in West Virginia on Monday when the second provision of a year-old state law took effect.
State lawmakers passed a bill in 2012 that made texting while driving illegal on July 1, 2012, and handheld cell phone use illegal a year later.
Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin will announce a statewide educational campaign during a news conference at Tamarack in Beckley at 2 p.m. The governor will join state Transportation Secretary Paul Mattox and West Virginia State Police Superintendent Colonel Jay Smithers for the announcement.
Not wearing a seatbelt becomes a primary traffic offense in West Virginia July 9.