A lawmaker from South Florida is hoping to make the state “hands free” when it comes to drivers and their cell phones.
State Rep. Emily Slosberg, a Democrat from Boca Raton, introduced House Bill 91 for the upcoming session that would make it illegal to operate a motor vehicle in the state while “holding or touching a wireless communications device."
"The Dori Slosberg hands-free driving law would make the state of Florida, essentially, hands free," Slosberg said in an interview with NBC affiliate WPTV-TV.
The bill is named for Slosberg’s sister, who was killed in a car crash in 1996 in which the representative survived.
Slosberg has sponsored previous legislation that made texting while driving a primary offense and illegal in both school and construction zones.
"Cellphones are now the No. 1 cause of distraction for drivers," Slosberg said. "We need legislation that allows us to ban it and to stop it.”
A similar bill died in a subcommittee last year, but Slosberg says she believes there is bipartisan support for it now.
