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On February 5th, 2013 the Virginia General Assembly voted in favor of a bill that would make texting while driving a primary traffic offense.<\/p>\nDear Governor McDonnell,<\/p>\n
On February 5th, 2013 the Virginia General Assembly voted in favor of a bill that would make texting while driving a primary traffic offense.<\/p>\n
If you sign the bill into law, the fine for a driver cited for texting and driving will be $250.\u00a0 The fine for a second offense will be $500. This will be a dramatic increase from the current punishment, which is only a fine of $20.<\/p>\n
In the past, you have expressed ambivalence towards texting and driving laws, believing that texting while driving is already forbidden under reckless driving laws. Late last year\u00a0<\/span>you stated<\/a>, \u201cThere are probably 50 or 100 different behaviors you could single out, all of which you shouldn\u2019t be doing in a car. But they\u2019re all covered generally in our general reckless driving statute.\u201d<\/p>\n For the sake of the safety of the people of Virginia, we want to respectfully urge you to reconsider your stance and promptly sign House Bill 1907 into law.<\/p>\n According to\u00a0<\/span>a report by the Pew research center, 26% of teens admit to texting while driving. The same study reports that 40% of teens have been in a car while the driver operated their cell phone in a manner that put other people in danger. Considering that texting while driving\u00a0<\/span>increases crash risk by 23 times\u00a0<\/span>and\u00a0<\/span>motor vehicle crashes are the number one killer of teens<\/a>, these facts should inspire anyone who is deeply concerned about traffic safety to take action.<\/p>\n Stiffening penalties will send a clear message that taking your full attention off the road just for the sake of using your phone is unacceptable.<\/p>\n In 2010 the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) launched a pilot anti-texting and driving program called \u201cPhone in One Hand, Ticket in the Other\u201d in Hartford, Connecticut and Syracuse, New York. The program combined laws prohibiting cell phone usage while driving, a public awareness campaign, and strict enforcement.<\/p>\nDistracted Driving is a National Crisis<\/h2>\n
Tough Laws Coupled with Strong Enforcement Work<\/h2>\n