Florida Gov. Calls for Study on Texting and Driving
With traffic fatalities up four percent in Florida so far this year, Gov. Rick Scott has called for top state highway officials to take another look at texting and driving.
For the past several years, the Florida state legislature has failed to pass any laws that ban — or even limit — the practice. Scott made the announcement that he’d like state officials to complete a texting while driving study after the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (HSMV) director delivered a new report to the Florida Cabinet about the dramatic rise in traffic fatalities in Florida — up from 1,866 in 2011 to 1,958 people so far this year.
Scott conceded that getting solid information on texting and driving might prove difficult, but he said that he’d like HSMV to gather more data to see if texting is an issue that warrants a closer look.
“I think we ought to continue to look at ways to make our state safer,” he said.
Neither Scott, nor the director of HMSV, Julie Jones, proposed an outright ban of the practice, but the director concurred that further study was needed and that people should abstain from texting while driving.
She said that while there might be other contributing factors leading to the spike in traffic deaths — such as a national trend of more vehicles being on the road — she did concede that in some states where texting and driving is banned, there has not been a similar dramatic rise in traffic fatalities.
So far, texting while driving is banned in 39 states and Washington D.C.
Florida distracted driving accident injury attorney Eddie Farah applauds the governor’s call for a more detailed look the texting while driving issue in Florida. A full 71 percent of Floridians are in favor of banning the practice, according to a recent poll.
If you have been injured by a distracted of negligent driver, don’t hesitate to call Farah & Farah at (800) 533-3555 to discuss your legal options.
By Eddie Farah
