Texting while driving may be illegal by the fall, and some Gainesville residents are considering the implications of the proposed law.
House Bill 13 and Senate Bill 52 would create the “Florida Ban on Texting While Driving Law.” It would allow local police officers to ticket drivers for texting but only if they were pulled over for another offense.
According to the bill, “A person may not operate a motor vehicle while manually typing or entering multiple letters, numbers ... into a wireless communications device or while sending or reading data in such a device.”
However, the bill makes exemptions for drivers using their cellphones to navigate, get safety information or report emergencies to authorities.
The bill, which is being reviewed by committees in Tallahassee, would take effect Oct. 1. It would also allow points to be assessed against a driver’s license for texting in a school zone or causing a crash because of texting.
Peggy Johnson, a driver’s education teacher at Gainesville High School, said the bill would help cut down on distraction among teenage drivers.
“Being in high school, I see it all the time,” she said. “They can’t do without their phone.”
Johnson said catching people in the act would be hard, but enforcement would be the key to the law’s effectiveness.
“All we can do is try,” she said.
University Police spokesman Maj. Brad Barber agreed, adding that enforcing the bill could present challenges.
“It would be difficult for officers to observe the offense taking place,” he said.
Even though texting and driving could be tricky to enforce, Barber said the bill could have positive impacts on UF’s campus.
“Distracted driving in the traffic mix that we have on campus is always a concern for us,” he said, “and certainly texting is a significant distraction.”
Daniel A. Smith, a professor in UF’s political science department, said he was surprised a bill addressing texting while driving hasn’t been adopted yet.
“This is a bill that is a long time in coming in Florida,” he said, noting that other states have already implemented similar laws. “We’re behind the times.”
He said lobbyists representing major communications companies have been influential in warding off a texting ban until now.
“I think it speaks volumes to the telecommunications lobby in the state,” he said. “They are very powerful in Tallahassee.”
Ross Baugher, a 19-year-old UF mechanical engineering freshman, said he thinks the bill will generally be accepted.
“I think most people will support it,” he said. “I do think, though, you’ll find some resentment — especially among the college-age group.”
Contact Kelcee Griffis at kgriffis@alligator.org.
House Bill 13 and Senate Bill 52 would create the “Florida Ban on Texting While Driving Law.” It would allow local police officers to ticket drivers for texting.
