The Fate of the Texting While Driving Bill

textingOne of the most followed bills that was making its way through the Florida Legislature was the texting while driving bill which, had it passed, would have “upgraded” texting while driving from a secondary into a primary offense. In its current status as a secondary offense, a driver must be pulled for a different reason such as speeding, for example, before a law enforcement officer could issue him or her a ticket for texting.

If you haven’t already guessed by the usage of past tense in the first paragraph, the texting while driving ultimately failed. While it was under review by the Florida Legislature, the bill would have allowed a law enforcement officer to pull over someone solely for the reason that they were caught texting while driving. Initially, its prospects of passing seemed positive after it successfully made its way through the House and made it through to the Senate. The proposal, however, met its demise in the Senate Appropriations Committee.

With the failure of the texting while driving bill, Florida remains one of just four states where texting while driving remains a secondary offense.

You can read more about bills that failed to pass over at the Orlando Sentinel website:http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/politics/political-pulse/os-legislature-dead-bills-20180312-story.html.

This update is brought to you by the Miami traffic ticket 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 one of the Miami criminal traffic lawyers today.

This information is provided for educational or informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice. The information is not provided in the course of an attorney-client relationship and is not intended to substitute for legal advice.

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