Florida Driver Faces Up To 5 Years in Prison for Texting While Driving Accident

Stephen Wade Horne, 26-year old Bartow, FL man, was arrested Monday on a class 3 felony charge of reckless driving with serious bodily injury.  Horne is accused of running his car into 20-year-old Emmanuel Mejia in August while sending a test message from his cell phone.  Mejia was emptying trash cans along the roadside when he was hit by Horne.  Mejia has lost both of his legs and a portion of 2 of his fingers from the accident.  Mejia "[thanks] God [he is] still alive and well."

New Studies Rank Texting above DUI on Scariest Driving Habit Scale

Recent studies are now revealing that texting while driving slows drivers' reaction times as low as driving while intoxicated.  The comparison between texting and drinking while driving is not a huge surprise given certain driving behavior is often common in both, for example swerving. 

Texting while driving became illegal in Virginia in July of this year.

Could there be a Safe Way to Text and Drive

Many people in today's society are addicted to their communication devices; thus, it comes as no surprise that society is now searching for safer, legal ways to use these devices while driving.  Since texting while driving became illegal in Virginia on July 1, 2009, one northern Virginia man is looking to a product called ZoomSafer to assist him in receiving the ever important text message or phone call between work and home.

Check it out!  Could it work?

Virginia's New Texting While Driving Law

New Virginia law, passed July 1, 2009, makes texting while driving illegal.  If caught texting while driving in Virginia, drivers now face a $20 fine for a first offense and a $50 fine for subsequent offenses.