Attorney
Cell phone use kills thousands of people annually in transportation accidents. A 2006 study by the University of Utah showed that a driver using a cell phone is just as dangerous as an intoxicated motorist.
As Virginia injury attorney Julie Heiden explains in the video above, if a distracted driver has injured you or killed a loved one in a motor vehicle accident, you may have the right to compensation for that driver’s negligence.
Virginia Records Show 725 Texting-and-Driving Convictions in Six Months
According to WJLA, Virginia police recorded 725 convictions during the first six months of a texting-while-driving law, which made texting while operating a vehicle a primary offense. The preliminary numbers from the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) show that the highest number of convictions occurred in northern Virginia and the Hampton Roads area, but every county recorded at least one conviction.
Before the texting law passed in the 2013 General Assembly, a motorist could not be cited for only texting, but would have to be stopped for another offense. Now, as a primary offense, police can pull over a driver who is seen texting. The previous fine for texting while driving was $20; now, a conviction calls for a fine of $125 for the first offense, while subsequent offenses call for a $250 fine.
According to the DMV, approximately 60 percent of teen drivers text while operating a vehicle. If you include all ages, 29 percent of all drivers text while driving.
The texting-while-driving law is not the last aimed at keeping drivers’ eyes on the road. The current session of the General Assembly includes a bill that would limit the use of cellphones by provisional drivers.
If a driver on a cell phone has injured you or has killed a family member in a motor vehicle accident, call our firm today for a free consultation.
Koonz, McKenney, Johnson & DePaolis L.L.P.
Maryland, Washington, D.C. and Virginia Injury Attorneys