With the General Assembly Session so near, we thought we would let you know what issues Senator Barker is working on this year.

Transportation has been a main area of focus since Senator Barker was elected.  Major transportation initiatives have passed the Senate but have been killed in the House of Delegates.  Last year, Sen. Barker’s bill requiring that roads are to be maintained to the same standard throughout Virginia passed the Senate.  A 2009 study found more than 40 percent of road in Northern Virginia not meeting state standards while only about 20 percent of roads elsewhere in Virginia below standards.  The House of Delegates killed that bill, but Sen. Barker worked with the Commonwealth Transportation Board to adopt that as State policy.  It is his hope that you will see steady improvement in the quality of your roads over the next few years.

Sen. Barker has also been addressing safety issues.  In 2009, there were 750 traffic fatalities.  Those included 70 pedestrians, almost 10 percent of the total, many in Northern Virginia.  Sen. Barker is introducing a bill that will improve pedestrian safety by requiring vehicles to stop for pedestrians in marked crosswalks where the speed limit is less than 35 MPH.

Teen distracted driving has been another concern.  Studies have shown that young drivers have quadruple the fatalities as older drivers and that persons on cell phones have quadruple the fatalities as other drivers.  Combining the two, young drivers using cell phones are 16 times as likely to be involved in a fatality as older drivers not on the phone.

Sen. Barker is sponsoring legislation to allow police to stop and ticket teens with provisional licenses on cell phones.  Although now illegal, they can wave at the police while on their phones, knowing the police cannot stop this deadly practice unless they commit another illegal act since it is currently a secondary offense.

Another safety issue Sen. Barker will be addressing is seat belts.  Buckling up saves over 15,000 lives annually. Currently, Virginia law requires only front seat passengers to buckle up.  Local high school students provided studies documenting that back seat passengers are 60 to 70 percent more likely to be killed if not using seat belts.  Sen. Barker’s bill will require back seat belt use.

Sen. Barker has submitted these bills again even though all three lifesaving bills passed the Senate last year but were killed in a subcommittee in the House of Delegates.  One after two other House committees were ready to pass the bill.  Your safety is too important for Sen. Barker to give up.

Please contact our office at senatorbarker@gmail.com if you have any questions or comments.  Also, everyone is invited to come to Richmond to stop in by.  Please drive safely on your way down!