Current Texting and Driving Laws in Florida, Essay Example

Current Texting and Driving Laws in Florida and What Can Be Done to Improve to Promote Safety on the Roads

In 2019, Ron Desantis executed a new law that makes texting and driving one of the prime traffic crimes in Florida. The law can subject one to pay 30 dollars fine in the first offense, but when the issue is repeated, the penalty rises to over $100 (Kim and Weirui). It is advocated that this law can be effective since it discourages people from texting while driving, hence making roads in Florida safer. The law enforcement factored in the issues concerning the losses that one may cause due to texting while driving, especially to other motorists or pedestrians and even people’s properties (Meldrum et al.). It is due to the reason that, according to the current laws concerning texting is prohibited.

Driving can become the worst irreversible nightmare in seconds. Many people rely on their cell phones because they make life easy through valuable features and functions that enhance communication in the complex world. This has made texting while driving a national headache in Florida. Drivers can use their cellphones in red light or traffic because the bill does not apply to stationary vehicles. Therefore, the state has enlarged its hands by putting billboards all over the state to remind drivers, especially teenagers, of the law and consequences of dangerous driving because it harms the drivers and others (Benoit et al.). The anti-texting law is supposed to make the roads safer, but unfortunately, it does not because the law is rarely enforced and the police.

There may be exemptions regarding texting in carrying out official obligations as an operator of an accredited emergency automobile. For example, law execution, reporting an emergency, or criminal to law enforcement authorities, and strategies must strengthen the anti-texting law and make roads safer (Meldrum et al.). The motorists should be pulled over and warning for using wireless interaction devices in school and work zones. For example, suppose one is on-call using a wireless device on the ear. In such cases, drivers’ concentration mainly weighs on the call, and the motorist will not concentrate on the road; hence a single mistake will lead to an accident and further to death. The traffic department should therefore consider educating the motorist whenever they found texting and driving. This can help ensure that all the drivers know the broader impacts of using cell phones while driving. Respective stakeholders should carry the state campaigns to remind the drivers that they are the highest contributors to injuries and deaths due to the lack of concentration posed by mobile phones while driving on the streets. It can be costly to Florida’s government, but it can benefit the entire state for an extended period.

The law still permits drivers to perform activities such as making phone calls, check traffic or weather alerts, and utilize their devices when navigating. Unless they are within learning institutions or construction areas, drivers must be strictly advised to avoid using phones for any activity. This is because some individuals will take advantage of using their cell phones for entertaining purposes since apart from communication purposes, they are used to play music and videos while driving. In certain situations, mobile phones and technological devices in trucks can also be utilized to prevent more interruption. For instance, precaution attributes that caution the driver of unexpected lane partings may lessen injuries associated with disruption (Saka). The government should pressure the police to be complex and strict on the law and arrest those violating traffic laws by texting and driving. The government must also ensure they create awareness of the dangers of texting and driving to ensure the law is effective.

In conclusion, cellphones are essential devices in the contemporary world since they enhance communication right from the personal level to the commercial level, but it has significantly contributed to disruption when used while driving. This has been one reason Florida has formulated and implemented a new law that helps in prohibiting driving and texting. Imposing enormous fines to the drivers found guilty of driving and texting is an effective way of reducing the rate of adverse effects resulting from the lack of focus when drivers text while driving. Besides, Florida’s government must consider pulling out rivers and issuing warnings to make polite precautions concerning the adverse effects of driving and texting, especially within school premises and construction zones. The law should allow drivers to only use phones to perform essential activities such as checking weather and traffic alerts, among other actions that help prevent traffic jams and accidents. Governments need to be proactive in enforcing traffic laws in general. Substantial improvements have been made in road safety in the past decades in many places. If Floridians uphold and improve these achievements, handling the risks and advantages of technologies while driving will be severe.

Works Cited

Benoit, Ilg?m Dara, et al. “Improving the effectiveness of anti-texting and driving PSAs: the effect of ad elements on attitude change.” Journal of Social Marketing (2021).

Kim, Hyang-Sook, and Weirui Wang. “The use of legal and social sanctions as a norming influence on texting while driving.” International Journal of Health Promotion and Education (2020): 1-16.

Meldrum, Ryan Charles, John H. Boman, and Sinchul Back. “Low self-control, social learning, and texting while driving.” American journal of criminal justice 44.2 (2019): 191-210.

Saka, Becky N. “Driven to Distracted Driving in Florida.”. Thomas L. Rev. 30 (2017): 219.