Texting While Driving Ban Closer to a Reality

textingAfter years of getting nowhere in regards to creating more stringent distracted driving laws, Florida House bigwigs are set to introduce a bill this week that may finally turn texting while driving into a primary offense, according to a 10 News article.

Should the bill come to pass, law enforcement officers would be able to stop a driver if they catch him or her texting while driving. As we’ve previously stated, texting while driving remains a secondary offense in Florida, which means a driver would have to be pulled over for a different offense before they can be cited for texting and driving. This offense carries a $20 fine but no points to a driver’s license.

Florida House Speakers believe it’s about time Florida joins the 40+ states that currently recognize texting while driving as a primary offense, but only while keeping civil rights protections intact. That means officers would be required to obtain a warrant before they can access or confiscate a driver’s phone as well as being required to inform drivers of their right to refuse to have their phone searched.

The 10 News article also mentions a study worth mentioning as it reinforces how beneficial tougher distracted driving laws may be in Florida. After Oklahoma implemented its texting ban, crashes due to distracted drivers ended up dropping.

This update is brought to you by the Miami traffic attorney team of Hochman & Goldin, P.A. We can assist you with criminal traffic violations and we are ready to answer your questions. Please call 305-665-1000 to speak with someone at the Miami ticket law firm today.

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