Jacksonville Proposes to Ban Texting While Driving
In its first reading at Monday night’s council meeting the Jacksonville City Council proposed an ordinance on banning texting while operating a motor vehicle. Currently 19 states and the District of Columbia ban texting while driving and Florida Governor Charlie Crist has clearly state that he is in favor of this legislation.
The ordinance would include texting, accessing Internet sites and other data which entails electronic messaging from cellular, wireless or digital devices among others. Various radios would be excluded from the ordinance as well as voice radios which are used by public service employees such as police and emergency service providers.
Although enforcement would be a difficult task. most feel that at least getting the ordinance on the books would make people think twice before texting while driving. Jacksonville lawmakers propose that the offense would be considered a misdemeanor and carry a fine or imprisonment which would increase with each subsequent offense. Texting would be considered a primary offense which would mean that an officer would not need another reason other than texting to pull someone over.
While the Florida Highway Patrol is just beginning to take note of accidents in which the contributing factor might have been distraction, the best estimate for 2008 was that 15 were killed and 1,400 injured by distracted drivers. Among the most frequent distractions affecting drivers; cell phone use and texting.
Although Florida currently has no prohibitions against cell phone use and texting, bills are being pre-filed for 2010 for the new legislative session beginning in March and is sitting at the top of Governor Crist’s wish list.
An informative site to keep up on new developments about these issues and others is Hands Free Info. Here you can check the laws by state and be informed of the latest developments on the ban on texting while driving.
Article also posted on Examiner.com
