Criminal Law

Running head: CRIMINAL LAW
Criminal Law
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1CRIMINAL LAW
In the given case after considering the evidence produced by the Prosecution and
Defendant. The defendant is found guilty of text messaging while operating a vehicle in a
roadway.
The law in Maryland prevents the use of cell phones and hand-held devices while driving for
writing, seeing or sending text messages or emails. As different activities have different
effects on driving (Yager, Cooper and Chrysler 2012) all need to be covered to make the
provision more effective The only exception is for GPS and sending intimation for
emergency to 911. Crashes that lead to death fall within the purview of criminally negligent
manslaughter by vehicle (Washington Post 2014). The complete ban on texting while driving
has reduced instances where drivers are tempted to check their phones (Rudisill and Zhu
2015; Rocco and Sampaio 2015).
In this case where the defendant was sending a WhatsApp message on a group while
driving caused a life-threatening collision. The law enforcement officers obtained details on
the phone record to corroborate the time line of the event with the time stamp on the story.
Two of the Defendant’s friends on WhatsApp also had screenshots of the chat that they
presented to the Jury and Court. The facts show unequivocally that the Defendant was using
his phone while driving. The evidence that corroborate this are the cell phone records,
witnesses and officer’s statement. This caused a collision with the adjacent car, where the
passenger in the front seat was grievously injured from the sudden impact of the collision.
The lady was hospitalized for two weeks and has to continue with physical therapy for
recovering from the injuries. She has additionally faced a huge trauma and is finding it
difficult to leave her house.
The laws on distracted driving have evolved in the State of Maryland and Jake’s Law
has been developed to expand the scope of punishment in such instances. The application of
the law is strict, in what amounts to texting while driving however, the punishment in some