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Texting And Driving: Hard To Believe So Many Have Had To Die
February 7, 2013
Escambia and Santa Rosa’s state senator is speaking out in support of a texting and driving ban as the Senate works on such a bill.
Sen. Greg Evers said lawmakers must change with the times, as they had to do when requiring the use of seat belts. “I just find it hard to believe that so many folks have had to die,” Evers said. “I, too, was one that would not support the seat belt. But by education – my son, when he crawls in a vehicle, that’s the first thing he does.”
A bill that would ban texting while driving was approved in its first Senate committee Wednesday, but only after lawmakers added some exceptions.
The Senate Transportation Committee amended the bill (SB 52) by Sen. Nancy Detert, R-Venice, to allow texting while a driver is stopped at a red light or stuck in traffic.
This is the fourth year Detert has sponsored a texting ban. She said it’s embarrassing that Florida is one of just a few states with no limits on texting while driving.
Steve Augello traveled from Spring Hill to tell lawmakers about his 17-year-old daughter, Alessandra, who was killed in 2008 when a driver crossed the center line while texting and caused a head-on crash.
“It kills. I’m living proof,” he said. “I have a life sentence. I have to live the rest of my life without my daughter because of someone who was texting and driving. We’ve got to get this law passed.”
Sen. Tom Lee, R-Brandon, wanted to know why the bill didn’t make texting a primary offense instead of a secondary one. “So you would consider it careless?” he asked.
“Beyond careless. I would consider it reckless,” Detert replied. “In the four years we have been doing this bill, we have found that it makes it more passable to make it a secondary offense.”
The News Service Florida contributed to this report.
Comments
8 Responses to “Texting And Driving: Hard To Believe So Many Have Had To Die”
“We have found that it makes it more passible to make it a secondary offense”
Yep! yep! We gotta do somethinng, people are gettin killed out there! “Its reckless, its dangerous, I lost a family member from it!! We’re gettin serious here! You people
better take note we’ve made it a secondary offense! Translated that means a whole lot of time and energy was wasted on this matter, but don’t fret. Its obvious no mental energy was wasted.
People will continue to die by the hundreds, from their own stupidity of texting while driving, and from the stupidity of our legislators!
No texting should be allowed even at a stop sign. If you have to text, pull into a parking lot and turn off the ignition. There needs to be stiff penalties for this.
There are several free apps that will block the ability of a cell phone to send and receive texts, make and recieve calls, and access the internet from a moving car. Do a search on “block texting from a moving car”. I was suprised at the number of apps out there that will do this, but nobody seems to know about them. There was a news story on this last night on channel 3. If I had teenage drivers in my house, I would definatly install one of these apps on their phone. I know some adults that should have this installed on their phone. A few of these apps will even track driving habits.
Good intentions are not enough, especially if you water it down with an amendment to allow texting while stopped in traffic…what idiots.. . there should be nothing allowed to distract a drivers attention from operating that motor vehicle safely… If you are going to deter texting while driving you are going to have to hurt them in their pocketbook. Alabama’s law is ineffective in that the fine is too low, its not deterring anyone from texting…it has become an addiction. Get serious about this problem dont take the teeth out of a proposed law, strictly enforce it, and fine a first offense heavily… now we will see if you lawmakers actually care about people or not…its pathetic in that I already know the answer to that…
I dont drive or text!!!
I’d like to see the stats for traffic accidents BEFORE pagers, cellphones, and tablets etc were even invented…bet there were a lot less due to drivers actually paying attention to the road. People were so interested in who’s going to take a shower on facebook or they want to see who needs them so bad, that they can’t keep their eyes on road. Who cares what someones status is….go to work or back to work and keep your mind on your life and your own business…this world was a lot better off before facebook and texting, and all of lives on the road were much safer.
I’d venture to say it’s worse than drunk driving–perfectly clear headed people barreling down the road looking down at their laps not paying one BIT of attention. Look around you while you are driving and notice how many people are looking down at their phones while driving. It is alarming!
Texting while driving is driving while preoccupied or distracted. It is just as bad as driving under the influence. If the message is that important that it can’t wait, pull off the road and park.