Florida is one of five states with no laws prohibiting texting while driving, but that all could soon change.
Two new bills introduced to the Florida House are targeting drivers who can’t seem to put their phones down while behind the steering wheel.
The first bill, HB 47, seeks to enhance penalties for offenders of Florida’s current Ban on Texting While Driving Law. The bill also seeks to make the violation a primary offense, rather than secondary.
Primary offenses allow law enforcement officers to stop a car if a violation is observed, while an officer can only stop a car for a secondary offense only if a primary offense is violated.
HB 69 was introduced to specifically target drivers 18 years old or younger. Similar to HB 47, the bill seeks to authorize officers to stop a vehicle and issue citations as a primary action.
According to a report by the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, Miami-Dade drivers where issued 689 texting while driving citations in 2015, far more than any other county in the state. Drivers in Broward County received 402 citations, while Palm Beach drivers racked up 378.
