It is not uncommon to see your fellow Florida motorists, head tilted downward and not on the road, utilizing their mobile device to text while their vehicle is in motion. Florida is now catching up to the rest of the country in one important area:  giving teeth to our texting while driving law. Enacted in 2013, Florida Statute 316.305, known as the “Florida Ban on Texting While Driving Law”, is intended to improve roadway safety by preventing crashes related to the act of text messaging.

Secondary Offense Not Enough

This statute, however, only authorized law enforcement officers to stop motor vehicles and issue citations as a “secondary” offense to persons who were texting and driving. In other words, police were only able to cite motorists for texting if they were pulled over for other reasons, such as speeding or failure to yield. This law did little to curb accidents caused by “distracted driving”, which were numerous, and often deadly.Continue Reading Florida Drivers Be Aware: Texting and Driving is a “Primary” Concern