New Florida Law Cites Drivers For Texting And Driving
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – People know it's unsafe and they've gotten away with it.
But starting Monday, people can get pulled over for texting and driving.
In the past, drivers could only be cited if they were pulled over for other reasons.
The new law signed into legislation by governor Ron DeSantis in May, allows officers to stop anyone who is just texting.
Here's how the new law will be phased in:
—warnings will be issued starting October 1st
—tickets will be issued starting January 1st
—for a first offense it's $30
—for a second offense it's $60
Many drivers, however, believe the new law will be a good thing.
Driver Ricardo Ramirez said, "I think it's going to be better for the city. There are a lot of drivers who are texting all the time and don't care about other people."
Another driver, Tony Mateo said, "I try to keep my phone out of my hand because I've had a bad experience with someone who hit me for texting and driving"
Daniel Eva is an Uber driver and he said he has seen it all.
He said young drivers aren't the only ones guilty of using the phone while driving.
"Sadly I've seen parents are trying to put something on for the kids and passing it on to them," he said.
"It's a hazard," he continued.
The texting ban, however, does not apply to a driver using a navigation device or to a driver who's vehicle is stationary.