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(USGovernment-News.Com, May 29, 2013 ) PEMBROKE PINES, FL – Governor Rick Scott signed Florida’s texting and driving bill into law yesterday at Alonzo and Tracy Mourning Senior High School in Miami, making the Sunshine State the 40th to enact a ban on this potentially deadly driving activity. While the bill is receiving flack for loose interpretation, the law is aimed at changing the habits of the state’s 14 million licensed drivers, as well as the millions of drivers who flock to our roads each year.
The law becomes effective October 1, and prohibits drivers from operating their cellphone to text or email “while operating a car in most circumstances.” Motorists will still be allowed to use a cellphone for navigation, get weather information or listen to favorite radio stations.
The infraction is a secondary offense, meaning a driver cannot be pulled over if suspected of texting, but can be ticketed if texting is suspected after being pulled over for another reason. The officer may not request to view the phone in order to establish whether texting occurred. The first offense carries a fine of $30.
The car accident attorneys at Gordon & Doner warn Florida drivers not to become a statistic. Texting and driving will not only become a ticket-able offense after October 1, it is a contributing cause in nearly ¼ of nationwide car crashes each year – that’s over 1.3 million texting and driving accidents. Stay safe – it can wait.
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