The Florida government has recently ended the texting while driving bill, making texting a primary offense due to racial profiling. A member of the House of Representatives stated that distracted driving to be one of the most common causes of fatal car accidents.
Some other factors that influence injuries are drunk drivers and adverse weather conditions.
As per current Florida Law, texting and driving are prohibited under law. However, professionals state that it cannot be the primary offense drivers are pulled over.
Breaking the law for the first time may impose drivers with a fine of $30 with no license points. However, the second offense within a five-year duration paves a path for moving violation with around a $60 fine and points on their license.
Know that the recently quashed law won’t change the point structure/fine for distracted driving. The only change is that it would be a direct violation and not a secondary one.
With April’s Distracted Driver Month passing, research shows that Florida ranks 49th out of 50 states when a question is raised on the use of cell phones while driving.
An Accident attorney sheds light on around 44% of drivers being involved in distracted driving at least once. While the car drivers urge on exaggerating this law, it does run to extreme ends.
The average distraction lasts for only five seconds. A car going at 60 MPH can travel around one and a half football fields. In 2016, around 9% of fatal crashes resulted from distractions caused during driving.
What is the Scenario of Orange County Car Accidents?
Distracted driving cases are high in Orange County because Orlando’s area doesn’t follow the national trends during fatal car mishap statistics. People of Florida rank as the worst drivers in America, and they’re ranked as 45th in the country with DUI arrests.
In 2016, there were 161 fatal accidents in Orange County. Of the total catastrophes:
- 66.46% of reported disasters didn’t have a driver over the legal alcohol limit.
- 67.57% of the reported weekday fatal accidents didn’t occur at the rush hour
- 83.23% mishap took place on clear days
(Note: The rush hour is defined as timings between 6-10 AM and 4-8 PM)
Know that the most common time and day for catastrophe in Orange County are Thursday between 9-10 PM.
Thus, these figures point out other factors that play a crucial role in local car catastrophes. The Accident attorney remarks that mishaps during these times specify more resulting from distracted driving and less due to alcohol usage, heavy traffic, and heavy alcohol usage.
What are the Ways to Prevent Distracted Driving?
Around 53,056 people signed the petition for making Texting & Driving a primary offense in Florida. This form of accident occurs primarily because of repeated phone calls and texts. However, other leading causes include changing music stations, eating, and looking down at directions.
Many app makers and phone providers prioritize stopping drivers from using their cell phones while driving. Applications like Waze make vehicles go faster than minimal speed to verify that they’re a passenger and not a driver before using the app.
Apple introduced a “Do Not Disturb While Driving” mode to prevent users from getting notifications while driving. Thus, reforms have been made to make driving a safer practice.
The Bottom Line
Many police officers and Florida lawmakers urge a texting and driving bill to make this offense a primary offense. Thus, there is a need to make your voice heard and reach out to local politicians to make them aware of the importance of making the offense’s primary importance.
Fines save lives, after all.
