Texting while driving is already illegal in Virginia. But a bill now being debated in the state Senate would require hands-free use of cell phones.
Police in Virginia have a hard time going after people who text while driving. That’s because they don’t know if the driver is texting or using GPS or streaming music. That’s why Senator Scott Surovell of Fairfax County wants to require any use of a cell phone be mounted, and not in the hands of drivers.
“Right now in the Commonwealth of Virginia, our code does not prohibit chasing Pokemon while driving, playing Angry Birds, cruising the internet or even watching a YouTube video," Surovell said, "and that’s ridiculous.”
Senator Mark Obenshain of Rockingham says if this bill is successful, it will be the most disobeyed law in Virginia. “It undermines the rule of law when we pass laws that we know people are going to uniformly disobey, whether it’s picking it up to look at the time on your phone or push the home button just to see whether it’s your boss or your child or your wife who’s texted you.”
Those would be illegal under the version of the bill now being debated in the Senate, unless the phone was mounted to the windshield or the dashboard. The Senate is expected to vote this week.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
