The Senate Transportation Committee today approved a bill that would make it a traffic violation to text message while driving.
House Bill 1876, sponsored by Del. John A. Cosgrove, R-Chesapeake, would provide exceptions for the use of GPS devices and in the case of emergency vehicles.
Describing text messaging while driving as "a dangerous and irresponsible practice," Cosgrove cited statistics that distracted driving accounts for 80 percent of traffic accidents in Virginia and a survey stating that one-third of all Virginians admit to "texting" while driving.
"We've got to move forward on this distracted driving issue in some way," said Sen. Chap Petersen, D-Fairfax City, who voted for the measure.
A handful of senators did not support the bill banning texting. It would only be charged as a secondary offense, meaning it could only be an additional charge if a law-enforcement officer pulled over a driver for another reason.
Sen. Ryan T. McDougle, R-Hanover, expressed concern that the measure could preclude law enforcement from prosecuting violators on more serious, related offenses, such as reckless driving.
The bill, which has cleared the House of Delegates, now heads to the full Senate.
A similar Senate bill that would have forbidden drivers from using cell phones that do not have hands-free accessories cleared the committee earlier in the session, only to be sent from the Senate floor to the Senate Courts committee, where it died.
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