New Traffic Safety Laws with Lt. Warren Gosnell, Frederick County Sheriff’s Office
Jun 24, 2019
We were in the studio (a few days earlier than normal) for our monthly conversation with Lt. Warren Gosnell from the Frederick County Sheriff's Department. Today we talked about a few of the traffic safety laws set to take effect on July 1, 2019 in Virginia. HB- 708: Children Must Remain in Rear-Facing Car Seats Until Age 2. If your car does not have a back seat, the child may sit in the front passenger seat but only when the passenger seat airbag is deactivated. Click here for the full description. HB1911: Failure to Move for Emergency Vehicles = Reckless Driving. Makes a driver's failure to move into a nonadjacent lane on a highway with at least four lanes when approaching a stationary vehicle displaying flashing, blinking, or alternating blue, red, or amber lights, or, if changing lanes would be unreasonable or unsafe, to proceed with due caution and maintain a safe speed, reckless driving, which is punishable as a Class 1 misdemeanor. Under current law, a first such offense is a traffic infraction punishable by a fine of not more than $250, and a second such offense is punishable as a Class 1 misdemeanor. Click here for the full description. HB1525: Handheld personal communications devices; prohibits use in highway work zones. Imposes a mandatory fine of $250 for using a handheld personal communications device for reading emails or texting while operating a motor vehicle in a highway work zone, defined in the bill, when workers are present. Click here for the full description. HB 2805 prohibits parking any vehicle in the striped area adjacent to a parking space reserved for people with disabilities. Click here for the full description. HB2514: Increases the maximum charge for a state safety inspection for a motor vehicle from $16 to $20 and increases the amount transmitted to the Department of State Police from $0.50 to $0.70. Click here for the full description.