Scott Maxwell:
Florida may ban texting while driving.
I can give you the statistics on distracted driving — that it claims nine lives a day in America and causes an accident every 60 seconds.
But you don’t really need me to tell you how prevalent it is. You see it everywhere you go. Texting on the Turnpike. Instagram on the interstate. One reason drivers do it so blatantly in Florida is that we’re one of the few states in America that gives drivers a pass on this dangerous practice.
That, however, may finally change.
For the first time, Florida legislators are roundly calling for Florida to join more than 40 other states that already have tougher laws that allow cops to stop drivers spotted texting while driving. That includes House Speaker
Richard Corcoran, who explained his support by saying: “The data is overwhelming and the need to act is equally compelling.”
That attitude is significantly different from last session, when legislators refused to even give the matter a hearing.
So what changed? You.
You got loud. Citizens — Republicans and Democrats — demanded that legislators take action.
That’s at least part of the reason, according to Rep. Emily
Slosberg, the South Florida Democrat who pushed the bill last session with little support from her peers.
“Richard Corcoran is a populist,” she said this week. “He listens to the public at large. And this is something that everyone wants.”
Gov. Rick Scott’s office said Wednesday that he also supports the ban, while stressing he would also need to review the final language.
The bill calls for fines and court costs of $108 for first offenses. It would allow texting in stopped cars. And it prohibits officers from searching through phone content without warrants.
In other words: it’s meant to be tougher than what we have now, while still being sensitive to civil liberties and letting people check their GPS maps when stationary.
There is still a long way to go before the session ends in March. But this draft — and the growing bipartisan support — are a good start.