At least, that's what I think you should do to avoid being pulled over by the police. Virginia Governor Tim Kaine signed into a bill banning texting while driving. Maryland and Washington, DC, already have such bans (no surprise in either case, really). The Examiner reports that
Under Virginia’s ban, which goes into effect July 1, police can’t pull a driver over just for text messaging but instead need a more serious primary offense to justify the stop.
If you believe this, immediately send me your name, address, and social security number. I have some relatives in Nigeria who need someone to hold a large sum of money in their bank accounts so that the Nigerian government will not confiscate their wealth. I'll pay you a generous fee for your services.
This law simply gives our "protectors" more probable cause to keep "protecting" us. If a police officer sees you checking your phone for any reason, including just checking the time, be assured that you will be pulled over and cited for texting while driving. I would predict that the likelihood of being pulled over would increase at night since a police officer can see the cell phone light and assume that you must be doing something with your cell phone. That's good enough to pull you over.
If you disagree with the ticket, to whom can you turn for justice? To a judge who is paid by the same government as the police officer. And what will the judge rule? Of course, you were texting while driving. Police officers are upstanding individuals who would never lie, unlike you serfs whom we must protect. Furthermore, the judge would say, the government would never pass legislation simply to collect more revenue from the public. Clearly these laws are only for your protection.
Mo state law limits seat belt violations to a $10 fine, as a result I know of no one who's ever gotten a seat belt ticket. Illinois, by contrast issues MANY seat belt fines. What is the fine for the cell phone infractions? That's what will determine how it's enforced, in my opinion.
Posted by: Marty | March 31, 2009 at 05:43 PM
That's a good question. I looked online and I could not find information on the 2009 ban. However, the 2007 ban on teens imposed a fine of at least $1,000. If the 2009 ban is even a tenth of this amount (and my guess is that the new fine is at least the same amount as this one) police will have a field day pulling people over if they see a driver even holding a phone.
Posted by: Brutus | March 31, 2009 at 06:18 PM