Surovell Proposes Stronger Texting Penalties
Delegate teams up with Republican to make texting while driving a Class 1 misdemeanor with time in jail and $2,500 fine.
Del. Scott Surovell (D-44) announced Wednesday he is proposing legislation to make texting while driving a Class 1 misdemeanor with a year in jail and a $2,500 fine. Surovell, a Democrat, is teaming up with Republican Del. Ben Cline of Rockbridge on the bill. Four months ago Surovell represented a woman whose car was rear-ended by someone texting and ended up with $40,000 in medical bills. "This is a problem we're all paying for every day," he said in a news conference Wednesday. Surovell, an attorney, told a story Wednesday about a client he represented. "A year and a half ago, a family's 19-year-old son [Kyle Rowley] came home from college and was driving home from Loudoun into Fairfax, at about 10:30 at night," he said. The teen …
Scott Surovell
12:49 pm on Friday, December 14, 2012
Lee - thanks for the comment. Unfortunately, it's not nearly that simple. I practice both criminal law and personal injury. Currently, someone cannot be stopped for texting while driving unless an officer observes a separate traffic offense. Texting alone is insufficient. In the Jason Gage prosecution, the only evidence presented to the court was that text messages were sent within 15 seconds of … more ›