Texting while driving is now a primary offense but if a Florida representative has her way, motorists may eventually be required to go entirely hands-free while on the road. She recently introduced a bill expected to be evaluated during the 2021 legislative season that would make operating a vehicle while “manually holding” or touch wireless devices illegal.
The representative, whose sibling lost her life in a car accident, believes texting while driving was only “a start” and more needs to be done to ensure safer roadways while limiting distracted driving.
With texting while driving now being a primary offense, police have the authority to pull motorists over if caught. It was historically deemed a “secondary” offense, which meant that motorists could only be charged for texting while driving if they were pulled over for a different reason.
In designated school intersections, school zones and work zones, the statute also forbids motorists from making use of handheld devices. At the 2020 legislative session, the aforementioned representative introduced a bill for an entirely “hands-free” approach, but the measure did not clear all of the necessary hurdles.
Should the hands-free bill pass, Florida would become the 26th state to ban drivers from using handheld mobile phones while driving.
To read more, please visit https://www.orlandoweekly.com/Blogs/archives/2020/12/19/new-bill-would-require-florida-drivers-to-go-fully-hands-free-when-using-mobile-phones.
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