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It’s the Law

   Written by on September 28, 2017 at 11:37 am

logo- community news & viewsOn July 1, 2017 sixty-four new laws went into effect in the state of Virginia.  This reporter is only going to touch on a few very important ones.

Foremost, all state drivers MUST stop for pedestrians to go across a street at marked crosswalks.  Tickets could be given out all day in this small Charlotte C.H. town.  As I have stated before, one could wait for over five minutes for anyone to let a person cross our street.

Why are folks in such a hurry? Since county court is held on certain days, this town has lawyers and visitors trying to cross this busy road that goes straight through town.  Do people stop?  No, no, no!

With the building of the new courthouse, we have many construction workers trying to cross to get to their trucks to no avail.  Something must be done!

Another law I’ll touch upon is driving too slow in the left lane on a highway that has at least four lanes.  Driving in the left lane on divided highways without a good reason could now result in a $100 to $250 fine.  This law was passed because these drivers endanger law enforcement and spur road rage.

How do you feel when traffic is heavy and the person on the left lane is just “poking along” at 40 miles per hour?  Yes, road rage!  Drivers who hold up traffic this way can now be fined unless they are slowing down to make a left turn.

Did you know that it is illegal to smoke in a car with anyone under the age of eight?  How many times does one see this?

Have you ever heard of the “Move Over” law?  This has been in effect for quite a while.  State law states that drivers traveling on a highway with at least four lanes, at least two of which are intended for traffic progressing in the same direction, must slow down and safely get over when approaching stationary emergency vehicles that are displaying flashing lights and parked on the right.

Passing a stopped school bus is getting more and more news and is very dangerous for the children, the bus driver and the person who just passed red blinking lights on the back or front of a bus.  One can be served a summons for doing this.

Here are a few new laws pertaining to other things.  Hunters are no longer required to wear blaze orange, but instead may wear blaze pink if they so desire.  The new law is designed to encourage more women to hunt!  It has been stated that blaze pink is better seen.

A painted curb means you must follow special rules to park there.  Check your locality for the specifics of this.

On the lighter side, thanks to Delegate Brenda Pogge, the garter snake is now Virginia’s official state snake! And, our Commonwealth also has an official rock, Nelsonite, thanks to Delegate Creigh Deeds.

I know there’s probably no law for this irritating problem but this reporter wishes ALL drivers would use their turn signals.  You’ve got them so USE them!  This is how you communicate with other drivers.

As for the Crafton’s Gate issue, if you can’t see a red light, you shouldn’t be driving.  We all have observed traffic lights for years!

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