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Florida Senate Passes Texting While Driving Ban
April 17, 2013
Texting while driving in most cases would be illegal in Florida under a bill passed Tuesday by the Senate and sent to the House. The measure has some exceptions that would allow drivers to text or email while stopped, such as at a red light.
The bill would make the infraction a secondary offense, meaning police officers would have to stop drivers for something else before ticketing them for sending or reading texts or emails while operating their car.
The Senate passed the bill unanimously, a remarkable amount of support for a measure that while proposed in recent years had never gotten through a Senate committee.
Its sponsor, Sen. Nancy Detert, R-Venice, said the bill has overwhelming support among the public, and noted that Florida is one of only five U.S. states that doesn’t have some sort of ban on texting while driving.
“We lose about 11 teenagers a day (nationally) thanks to texting while driving,” said Detert.
“This bill is long overdue, we’ve lost too many young people, and too many people in general on the streets of Florida,” added Sen. Chris Smith, D-Fort Lauderdale.
A penalty for a first violation of the prohibition would be a $30 fine, plus court costs that vary around the state. A second violation within 5 years of the first would result in 3 points o the driver’s record plus a $60 fine plus court fees.
The bill is backed by AAA.
“In the last three years alone, more than half of all states have enacted text messaging bans for all drivers,” said Kevin Bakewell, vice president of the auto club. “AAA is encouraged by the recent and rapid progress toward our national campaign goal of passing texting bans in all 50 states.”
A similar bill has also moved through the House this year, in contrast to previous years when it was bottled up in committee. The House bill is on the floor calendar for that chamber.
By The News Service of Florida
Comments
10 Responses to “Florida Senate Passes Texting While Driving Ban”
They will eventually have to change to name of this law. Sort of like they did with changing DWI to DUI. Because a lot of people are playing around on their iphones and Droids but are not actually texting. They’re playing games, checking Facebook, checking baseball scores, stuff like that. One day someone will get a ticket for texting while driving and find a way to beat it, because their phone records will say they hadn’t sent a text all day or something.
Another lame attempt to address a serious problem…those same politicians that proposed this bill are most likely some of the biggest violaters….this will do absolutely nothing to curb the texting/reading text while driving problem…once again loss of life takes a back seat… a secondary offense, thats the importance that they put on a human life… useless politicians…they have accomplished NOTHING!
Untold numbers of people are already in the cemetery because of texting while driving. Not just the ones texting, but the innocent ones they killed while engaging in this irresponsible activity. To not only allow the practice while stopped, but make it a secondary offense in conjunction to some other moving violation, sends the following message: IT’S NOT A BIG DEAL.
11 teenagers a day die nationally on average? That’s 4015 a year, just teenagers mind you, and the result is this “law”?
Law enforcement and emergency personnel that have to see the carnage and aftermath of texting while driving must be shaking their heads and wondering what mindless idiots occupy Tallahassee.
The death rate from this activity will continue to climb, because there’s no real law against it, and no real consequences. Wait and see.
People have we really helped the madness and wrecks?Kids going out through the woods and adults. So now we can set at red lights and stop signs and text. I would not do that, no one stops at either red lights or stop signs.
Well said Mr.Coe, it also sets up the fact you may be rear ended by some one looking only at the light.
I think it hurts commerce and promotes road rage for people to be able to text at a light. I know it annoyingly ticks me off, when people are missing the light change while they are texting, that I’m considering installing air horns in my POV just for those occasion.
??When does it take effect?
After it’s passed by the House and it’s signed by the governor.
great!!!! When does it take effect?
I like thst it must be a secondary offense. That way you must be doing something else wrongn such as swerving. The last thing I want is to give cops permission to write a ticket anytime they see a driver holding a digital device.
It shouldn’t have to be a secondary offense. By then, it’s too late.