If you baked a cake to commemorate the one-year anniversary of Florida's
texting-while-driving law on Oct. 1, there probably would be room on it to place a candle for each motorist ticketed in Polk County — 19.
That's not a number to celebrate.
The low figure is not reflective of the law's deterrence, as anyone traveling a local road can testify. There is ample evidence daily of people fiddling with their phones while behind the wheel, in traffic, and not always even stopped at a red light.
Few motorists take the law seriously because it rarely is enforced. That was by design.
Although 41 states and the District of Columbia ban texting while driving, Florida is one of only four states within that group that make texting a secondary offense. That means law enforcement cannot pull over a driver only if he is observed operating his phone. Authorities first must witness the driver committing a different violation, such as speeding or not wearing a seat belt, before a citation for texting while driving can be issued.
Opponents of making texting a primary offense argued that it would constitute an invasion of privacy. That's a pretty thin reed to grasp, as driving is a state-monitored and regulated activity, and driving on public roads is a privilege, not a right. Texting while driving is a public-safety issue.
texting-while-driving law on Oct. 1, there probably would be room on it to place a candle for each motorist ticketed in Polk County — 19.
That's not a number to celebrate.
The low figure is not reflective of the law's deterrence, as anyone traveling a local road can testify. There is ample evidence daily of people fiddling with their phones while behind the wheel, in traffic, and not always even stopped at a red light.
Few motorists take the law seriously because it rarely is enforced. That was by design.
Although 41 states and the District of Columbia ban texting while driving, Florida is one of only four states within that group that make texting a secondary offense. That means law enforcement cannot pull over a driver only if he is observed operating his phone. Authorities first must witness the driver committing a different violation, such as speeding or not wearing a seat belt, before a citation for texting while driving can be issued.
Opponents of making texting a primary offense argued that it would constitute an invasion of privacy. That's a pretty thin reed to grasp, as driving is a state-monitored and regulated activity, and driving on public roads is a privilege, not a right. Texting while driving is a public-safety issue.
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