House speaker: Toughen texting-while-driving law
Tex ting while driving would become a “primary” traffic offense under legislation backed by House Speaker Richard Corcoran.
The legislation, unveiled Wednesday, would allow law-enforcement offifficers to pull over motorists if they see them texting or emailing. Currently, tex ting while driving is a secondary off ff ff ff ff ff en se, meaning offifficers can only charge motorists with texting violations during traffific stops for other of ff ff ff ff ff fens es, such as speeding.
Corcoran said in an interview Tuesday that as the father of six children, including two teens who have drivers licenses, he has become convinced by statistics showing the dangers of texting while driving, particularly for younger drivers.
“The statistics have just become overwhelming. This has reached a national crisis,” Corcoran, R-Land O’ Lakes, said.
The state Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles reported nearly 50,000 distracted driving crashes in Florida in 2016, including 233 deaths.
“You see the under-30 population are the greatest violators of engaging in texting and driving behavior,” Corcoran said. “All of us have driven down the road and looked over to the car next to us and watched them fully engaged in email or texting. It has reached an epidemic.”
Corcoran’s support is significant because it makes the legislation much more
Florida House speaker
viable during the upcoming 2018 session, after similar proposals failed to make it through the Legislature in past sessions.
The new House bill will be a variation of legislation already fifiled in the House (HB 121) by Rep. Emily Slosberg, D-Boca Raton, and a Senate measure (SB 90) sponsored by Sen. Keith Perry, R-Gainesville.
Corcoran said the new bill will be co-sponsored by Slosberg, who was injured in a 1996 crash that killed her twin sister along with four other teenagers, and Rep. Jackie Toledo, R-Tampa. Slosberg’s father, former Rep. Irv Slosberg, D-Boca Raton, led an effffffffffffort to make violations of the state seat-belt law a primary traffiffic violation.
Though making it easier for law enforcement officers to pull over motorists for texting, Corcoran said the bill would still protect “civil liberties.”
Motorists would not have to turn over their phones until warrants are issued. And motorists could not be detained while authorities seek warrants.
Offifficers would “have to witness the event, issue the ticket, and then that person is entitled to their day in court,” Corcoran said.
Asked about an American Civil Liberties Union study this year that found African-Americans were nearly twice as likely as whites to be stopped for seat-belt violations, based on 2014 data, Corcoran said those concerns will be considered as the texting legislation is debated.
But he also noted state law already has prohibitions against racial profifiling to try to protect minority motorists.
Under the tex tingwhile-driving bill, fifirst- time violators would face a $30 fifine plus court costs for a non moving violation. Second- time of ff ff ff ff ff fenders would face a $60 fifine plus court costs with a moving violation.
The bill would include additional penalties for texting violations for motorists involved in crashes and while driving through school zones, Corcoran said.
“Really what is at issue is trying to keep our families as safe as possible on the road,” Corcoran said.
At least 39 states make tex ting while driving apr imaryt raf fiffic off ff ff ff ff ff en se.
Richard Corcoran
‘All of us have driven down the road and looked over to the car next to us and watched them fully engaged in email or texting. It has reached an epidemic.’