SEBASTIAN – Florida’s new texting-while-driving law will begin July 1, 2019. Anyone caught texting while driving risk getting pulled over and fined by law enforcement.
We have a few details that will help understand the new anti-texting law.
According to the new Florida law, texting while driving will become a primary offense, and law enforcement will have the right to pull drivers over if they observe them texting behind the wheel.
A first violation carries a $30 fine, and a second violation is $60. By the time you pay the court costs, the amount of money spent could be over $100.
Drivers will be allowed to look at their phone while stopped at a red light. The violation only occurs when the driver is texting while the vehicle is in motion.
There are rumors around Sebastian that law enforcement can take the phone, which is false. The officer, deputy, or trooper would need a warrant to confiscate the mobile device.
Texting while driving is responsible for more teen deaths than drunk-driving. And distracted driving kills nine people, of all ages, every day in America, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.