47 states along with the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands have a text messaging ban in place for those behind the wheel. Distracted driving is a major cause of many accidents occurring today. Many of those distractions come from smartphones, and with their rise in popularity also came a rise in distracted-driving accidents. Because of this rise in the number of accidents, 16 states, D.C., Puerto Rico, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands have all enacted bans regarding handheld device usage while driving. My Sun Coast reports that Florida may be joining those 16 states and outlying territories.
A bill that was unanimously approved by a Florida state Senate committee on Wednesday could outlaw not just holding a cell phone while driving but could outlaw other distracting activities.
The Senate Innovation, Industry, and Technology Committee approved the measure after hearing heart-wrenching testimony from parents whose children had been killed in an accident caused by drivers who were distracted.
Currently, Florida prohibits texting while driving. However, police may only issue a ticket if they pull the driver over for a reason other than distracted driving. This bill would make distracted driving a primary offense, which would mean that police would not need another reason to pull over a driver who is seen texting behind the wheel.
Due to concerns that the distracted driving law could be used as a way to profile based on race, the bill includes a provision that would require officers to record the race and ethnicity of drivers who are ticketed for the offense.
How Age Affects Driving Ability Are older drivers at greater risk for accidents? How Age Impacts Driving Ability South Florida’s year-round sunshine makes it a popular retirement spot and destination for “snow birds.” Part of living in a state with such a high population of older drivers is acknowledging and recognizing the effects of aging on a person’s ability to...
New technology will address dangers of drowsy driving Driving while fatigued can cause accidents, leading to serious injury and even death. Although studies have shown that drowsy driving can be as dangerous as drunk driving, experts say that too many drivers do not take the hazards seriously enough. New technologies under development may help prevent accidents caused by drowsy driving. Some auto safety...
Three Ways to Talk to Your Teenager about Texting and Driving Texting is, without a doubt, one of the most dangerous things a driver can do. It (and other visual-manual subtasks like dialing) increases the risk of crashing by three times, according to a study by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI). It’s important to talk with your teenagers about the misconceptions, consequences, and dangers of...
Texting and Driving: Why You Need to Talk to Your Teen about the Dangers Teens love to text and often seem glued to their phones. As parents, it’s our job to teach them when to take a required break from texting. Specifically, we must teach them the dangers of texting and driving and why the two make a deadly combination. Texting and Driving: A Recipe for Disaster Texting is...