Virginia May See Stronger Texting Penalties
Crime Commission to discuss making texting behind the wheel a reckless driving charge.
The Commonwealth of Virginia may be considering stronger penalties for texting while driving. The Virginia State Crime Commission will discuss Wednesday a draft of new legislation that would make texting while driving a reckless driving charge as well as a traffic offense, WTOP reports. The commission makes recommendations to the General Assembly. A Fairfax County judge ruled this year that the current texting-while-driving law precluded a reckless driving conviction against a man prosecutors said opened a text very close to the time he struck and killed a 19-year-old man on Route 7 near Dranesville in May 2011. The current law comes with penalties of $20 for a first offense and $50 for a second offense. When the case went to trial in a …
