The Weiland Firm, PLC on Texting and Driving in Virginia
Matt Nelson, a former partner of the firm, was interviewed recently on NBC-12 Local Richmond Virginia about the impact of the new Virginia Texting while driving law.
From the Interview:
When you compare the 725 convictions so far this year with the with the 54,126 reckless driving convictions in a year’s time in 2012, 725 doesn’t seem like much.
“For a new law, I would say no. I don’t think that’s a lot of convictions,” said Matt Nelson. He’s an experienced Richmond attorney who primarily handles traffic cases. He says his firm has not seen an up tick in calls from people asking about the texting and driving law. “It may be that the law as written on the police officers’ prospective is hard to prove,” said Nelson.
Under Virginia’s law, you are not allowed to text, but you are allowed to dial on your phone and to use the GPS navigation system. “On those occasions, it might be hard for police officers when using your phone to determine if you’re actually using your phone to text or to receive an email or to read an email,” said Nelson.
Read more about Virginia Texting and Driving Law here