Rob Bell – Wrong On Texting While Driving

I live in Lynchburg, VA and while we are not short on terrible drivers I don’t think making texting while driving a class 1 misdemeanor is the solution to fixing this potentially deadly problem. In America we are all guilty several times a day of breaking some stupid law. I moved a rock in my creek the other day. I’m sure that was illegal in some book somewhere. It’s just stupid. MOST traffic laws are about revenue generation and control and not public safety. Giving control happy cops reasons to pull us over is not a good idea. Especially since it won’t apply to those with plates that say “Delegate” or “Senator” on them which all our elected “representatives” are allowed to have. Must be nice!

Currently the law against texting while driving is a secondary offense, meaning that an officer would have to wait till you committed a primary offense to pull you over and cite you. Further the fine is only $20.00. That’s absurd, but not a good reason to increase the offense to a reckless driving misdemeanor. I’m not advocating or defending texting while driving. But making someone a criminal because of it is stupid.

Here is my response to Delegate Rob Bell who is running for AG. If he wants my support he will drop his support for this bill.

Virginia has many laws that need to be repealed or changed. Jumping a secondary offense all the way to a class 1 criminal misdemeanor is the WRONG way to go with this. A $20 fine for texting while driving as a secondary offense IS absurd. This solution being proposed is worse.

Want to

 make it easier to enforce? Why not just simply make it a primary offense and increase the fine.Or if you feel that it needs to be a misdemeanor it should be connected with an accident caused by texting.

I received a ticket for $95.00 for having too dark a tint on my rear window, a PRIMARY offense. The reason “officer safety”. So the officer endangered his safety by pulling us over to write a ticket? While the texting while driving offenses are about safety. most of this crap is about revenue generation.

We don’t need to criminalize everything. We have enough of this at the federal level.
§ 46.2-853. Driving vehicle that is not under control.

A person shall be guilty of reckless driving who drives a vehicle which that is not under proper control or which that has inadequate or improperly adjusted brakes on any highway in the Commonwealth.

“Driving a motor vehicle that is not under proper control” includes driving a motor vehicle on any highway in the Commonwealth while simultaneously using a handheld personal communications device for any purpose other than verbal communication.

You say that you believe in Liberty. Prove it!

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Kurt Feigel posted 329 articles on this blog.

Not new to politics. Kurt Feigel has been blogging and vlogging for over 3 years. Kurt is the Managing Editor of Red State Virginia. Read More by visiting the "contributors" link above and click Kurt Feigel

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