The state of Florida has drawn one step closer to the enactment of a law that would ban texting and driving on the roads. If eventually passed, it will join the ranks of states like California and many more that have already outlawed the practice.
Yesterday, the bill was approved unanimously by the Senate Judiciary Committee. This Senate version of the measure now joins a House bill that was passed last week. The dual passage means that both of the proposals should be debated soon in front of each legislative body.
As far as texting and driving bans go, the measure isn’t all that stringent. If passed, texting would be a secondary offense requiring some other illegal action to transpire before a traffic stop could be initiated. There are also numerous exceptions under the bill. A person can still text at red lights, they can use the GPS function of their phone, and they can contact police.
One other wrinkle has to do with the way officers will have to prove texting occurred. Concerns have arisen over whether a driver utilizing a hands-free texting technology could be erroneously hit with a ticket, as phone records would not be able to tell the difference between manual texting and voice-activated texting.