WASHINGTON – Virginia is close to following the lead of D.C. and Maryland when it comes to texting while driving as a law regarding the issue heads down the final stretch, with one final hurdle to clear.
On Wednesday, the Virginia General Assembly will reconvene for one day. Both the House of Delegates and the Senate will vote on changes the governor made to bills that were passed during the regular session, one of which outlaws texting while driving.
Del. Rich Anderson from Prince William County sponsored the bill, which would elevate texting while driving to a primary offense, like it is in Maryland and D.C.
One of the amendments Gov. Bob McDonnell made to the bill after it was initially passed by both sides of the General Assembly would make the fine for texting while driving the same as it is for other offenses, like driving while drunk and reckless driving.
“I think it’s long overdue,” Anderson says. “A lot of other people get credit in previous years (for) trying to get this through.”
WTOP’s Kathy Stewart contributed to this report. Follow @WTOP on Twitter.
