Studies have shown that texting and driving can be as dangerous as drunk driving. The Florida legislature just passed a ban on driving and texting. In doing so, our state has joined 40 others that have bans on texting while driving. BUT, the bill did not go through in its original form and was somewhat diluted by the time it passed.
What does the new Florida “no texting while driving law” mean for Florida drivers?
This new law will be a secondary offense; in other words, the driver must be doing something else to get him/her pulled over for a traffic stop than just texting, like careless driving, failing to stay in a single lane, etc.
Now that texting is illegal while driving in Florida, can cell phone records be searched?
Under the new law, a driver’s cell phone records can only be discoverable if an injury or death results from a crash.
As a second offense, this new law is similar to the seatbelt statute. It’s not ideal, but it’s a start.
Progress goes slow, but we have to start somewhere. Along with this new law, Florida judges have finally started granting motions to seek punitive damages to punish an at-fault driver of a crash who was texting and driving. Be careful and use your common sense while behind the wheel.
