‘Jake’s Law’ creates stiffer penalties for distracted driving

Of the many bills signed into law by Governor Martin O’Malley on Monday, among them was a measure to impose harsher penalties on drivers who cause accidents while texting or talking on the phone.
Named after Jake Owens, a boy who was killed in 2011 when a driver talking on his cellphone drove into his family car, “Jake’s Law” penalizes distracted driving that results in a “serious or fatal car crash.” According to the Baltimore Sun:

The new law allows a judge to impose a sentence of a year in jail and a $5,000 fine if a driver causes an accident with serious or fatal injuries while texting or talking on the phone.

Read more at the Baltimore Sun.