Texting While Driving May Soon Be a Primary Offense in VA. | Richmond Personal Injury Lawyer
Texting while driving has been a big issue these past few years as more and more people have become glued to their cell phones and smart phones. In the state of Virginia, a cop can only ticket a person for texting while driving as a secondary offense, but that may all change soon. According to an article over at CBSDC, the Senate Courts of Justice Committee approved legislation that makes texting or e-mailing while driving a primary offense in Virginia.
A survey conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration revealed that 90 percent of drivers said that they feel very unsafe if a driver is texting or emailing when they are passengers. In fact, 71 percent of drivers support bans on handheld cell phone use while driving and 94 percent support bans on texting while driving. The NHTSA has now partnered with the Ad Council to launch a new campaign that urges people to “Stop the texts and stop the wrecks”.
It will be interesting to see whether or not this new law will decrease accidents in Virginia. Keep in mind that texting while driving can be a lethal combination because it involves three different distractions: visual, manual and cognitive.
If you’ve been involved in a car accident, don’t hesitate to contact an experienced Richmond car accident lawyer to help you with your case.