Ban on texting and driving goes in effect

Becky Sue is driving down Archer Road and checks her phone for the text message she just received. At the same time, the Honda in front of her breaks for the stoplight they are approaching. Without noticing this, Becky crashes into the back of the Honda before she can even look up from her phone’s screen.

Sending or receiving a text takes a driver’s eyes from the road for an average of 4.6 seconds, the equivalent – at 55 mph – of driving the length of an entire football field while blind, according to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration.

Starting on Oct. 1, texting while driving is illegal in the state of Florida.

The new texting and driving law prohibits texting, emailing, or instant messaging on any handheld device while the vehicle is in motion.

The fine for a first offense is $30 while the fine for a second offense is $60, according to the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office website.

Some law enforcement officials, however, feel this is only a small improvement for cracking down on dangerous driving habits.

“This will not have the large impact that everyone is hoping for, being that it is a secondary offense,” said Officer Ben Tobias, spokesman for the Gainesville Police Department. “Some will be disappointed with it, but I feel it is a step in the right direction.”

A secondary offense means that an officer must see you commit another infraction, such as speeding or not wearing a seatbelt, in order to penalize you for texting.

This could change in the future, just as the seatbelt law did, which also began as a secondary offense, said Lt. Todd Kelly, with the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office.

Drivers will be allowed to text while at red lights or stopped in traffic, in accordance with the “in-motion” aspect of the law. It will also be acceptable for drivers to continue use of hands-free texting methods, or to report criminal activity while driving, according to the sheriff’s office.

The main goal for this law is not to punish people heavily for texting and driving, but instead to change the culture and behavior of drivers today, Kelly said.

“People have become so accustomed to just grabbing their phone and sending a text home ‘real quick’, without realizing the dangers that can pose for themselves and their fellow drivers,” he said.

Along with the Gainesville Police Department, the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office will continue to make efforts to educate drivers and try to prevent more incidents from occurring, Kelly said.

There is not currently a statistic that is kept through the Sheriff’s office regarding the number of infractions involving texting, but this could be something else that will change, as the law now requires these records to be kept.

Florida is only the latest out of 40 other states in the country to ban texting while driving. Kelly said he feels the action was long overdue.

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