In recent years texting while driving has become a heated topic throughout the country. Currently, about 135 billion text messages are sent or received in any given month in the United States. That number represents an 80-percent increase since 2008. So, it's no wonder that law makers are starting to take notice.

In 2010, bans on texting while driving will go into effect in New Hampshire, Oregon, and Illinois. Florida may also be added to that list. If a proposed bill is passed, Florida’s ban could go into effect on October 1, 2010. Including the three previously mentioned states, 19 US states and Washington DC currently have bans on texting while driving in place. Six additional states (California, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, Oregon and Washington) ban drivers from talking on handheld cell phones while driving. Drivers in those states are still allowed to talk using a hand-free device such as a Bluetooth. No state bans talking on a hands-free device while driving, however some experts predict there may be pushes for such bans in the future.

Florida's proposed ban on texting while driving is moving quickly through legislation. In March, the Florida House of Representatives unanimously pushed forward a bill that would make texting while driving a secondary offense. A secondary offense allows law enforcement officers to write citations after they have pulled you over for another primary offense. For example, a driver could be pulled over if he or she is caught rolling through a stop sign while texting. In that situation, the officer would issue a citation for the primary offense (failing to stop at the stop sign) and the secondary offense (texting while driving).

In the proposed bill, the first offense will result in a $30 fine. If a driver is convicted of a second offense within five years the fine will be raised to $60. Some law makers are unhappy with the secondary offense classification of the proposed bill. They feel it should be a primary law because texting while driving is a distraction to drivers and puts other, innocent drivers at risk. Texting while driving has been named the cause of several fatal accidents across the country in recent years. These accidents and the desire to prevent further fatalities is a major driving force behind the movement to ban texting across the country.

Research has shown the majority of the country supports a ban on texting. However, research has also shown that a large portion of people who support a ban are also guilty of texting while driving. It seems to be another "it can't happen to me" situation. Similar to the way people think when they drink and drive. That is, until it does happen to them.

Whether or not Florida is the next state to ban texting while driving or not, Florida drivers should put down their phones and pay attention to the road. Drivers need to abandon the "It can"t happen to me" philosophy and realize that texting while driving is distraction and dangerous.

Read more about the Cost of Texting and Driving.

Labels: driver safety, florida driving laws, texting, texting and driving, thanksgiving traffic safety, traffic fines

Automated Cameras Expected By Year's End

Get ready to smile for the camera, and pay a fine, if you're going to run a red light in Orlando.

Orlando is Florida's largest city to employ automated cameras to photograph and ticket drivers who don't obey red lights.

After being briefed on the concept recently, City Council members gave their unanimous support. Mayor Buddy Dyer, with the council's backing, said he would ready a plan for formal approval in the next few months, and hopes on having the cameras in effect by the end of the year.

With these developments, Orlando is sidestepping Florida lawmakers who have failed for years to embrace statewide red-light legislation.

Commissioner Patty Sheehan said. "That the Legislature will not act is unfathomable to me. The Legislature won't cooperate, so let's do it ourselves."

The details of the plan have yet to be worked out. The cameras cost $40,000 to $60,000 each or can be leased for approximately $5,000 a month, but city officials have not yet fully calculated the cost. They are holding off on decisions such as how many intersections would be covered by cameras and the amount of the fine.

The cameras appraise a vehicle's speed as it nears an intersection and takes a photo of the car and its license plate if it crosses the intersection after the light has turned red. The Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority employs a similar system to photograph tollbooth violators.

A police officer will review the photographs, and then determine whether a ticket should be mailed.

According to city officials, the problem can no longer be ignored. Police Chief Michael McCoy said that in Florida, red-light violators cause at least 100 fatalities and more than 6,300 injuries a year. At least 458 crashes resulted from red light running last year in Orlando alone.

In 2005, the city tested the cameras' effectiveness in a pilot project at a major intersection. Over 7,500 violations were photographed in nine months, with warning letters being issued to 2,946 violators. To spot that many red-light violations, it would take 20 motorcycle cops a full year.

"Traffic enforcement is a very labor-intensive part of our Police Department," Dyer said. "Red-light cameras would certainly be a way to make it more efficient."

McCoy added that crashes at the test intersection shrunk by half, and violations dropped by 43 percent.

"We sent out thousands of warning letters and had absolutely no complaints from the public," he said. "I think the public is strongly behind this. It's overdue."

State laws do not address red-light cameras, but it is the state attorney general's opinion that the photos cannot be the basis of a traffic citation.

Municipal leaders have urged lawmakers to specifically permit the use of red-light cameras for a decade, to no avail. Lawmakers most often cite privacy issues in blocking the cameras' use.

According to city lawyers, Orlando could issue a ticket that's akin to a parking or code-enforcement infraction. This would result in a monetary fine, but no points on the violator's license, no jail time and no seizure of property.

The city of Gulf Breeze has been employing a similar process for a year, and just this month Apopka began issuing $125 fines.

There's a small chance that the city's action could be found unconstitutional, said City Attorney Mayanne Downs.

"We just need to send a message," Commissioner Phil Diamond said, "and hopefully people will start driving more carefully."

Did you know that courses are available to educate drivers on the rules of the road and the latest defensive driving techniques? Try one now!

Labels: defensive driving course, red light, red light camera, traffic fines, traffic ticket

Could your driving behavior help your state meet its budget shortfalls? With the US economy going down the tubes, state and local governments are looking for ways to pay for government services without raising taxes. One thing that many are looking at as a revenue source is traffic fines.

Recent news reports show that a state Senate committee approved a new bill to increase all Florida traffic fines by $10.00 and to raise some speeding fines by $25.00. For example, the fine for 15-19 miles per hour above the limit would increase from $125 to $150. The same committee also voted to end the 18% break that Florida drivers get on their traffic fines when they attend driving school. In addition to the state fines, local governments can also tack on their own fees making their cost even higher. The state of Florida anticipates raising up to $16 million to meet budget shortfalls. If approved by the full legislature, these new fines could go into effect as early as February 1st.

A quick search of news articles shows that local governments in San Jose California, Tulsa Oklahoma, and Richmond Hill Georgia have already or are considering raising traffic fines to pay for various government programs. The small community of Richmond Hill anticipates that the added fees will generate around $20,000 to pay for internet service inside their police cars. In California, speeding drivers who request a driving school to keep their insurance rates down saw that fee rise from $24 to $94 after January 1st.

Two years ago, to pay for roads and highway expenses, Virginia increased their traffic fines astronomically. In addition to traffic fines, Virginia has imposed “civil penalties” on Virginia residents who break certain traffic laws. The civil penalty for going 20 mph over the speed limit is $1,050; this is in addition to $61 in court costs and a fine of approximately $200. Violators must pay these penalties within three installments or risk suspension of their driver’s license.

The old saying goes that the only thing you can depend on in life is death and taxes but apparently some taxes can be avoided. Unlike income or property taxes that we can’t avoid paying, it is relatively easy to avoid paying these new taxes; just obey the traffic laws. Drivers who choose to disobey the traffic laws aren’t going to get a whole lot of sympathy when faced with these increased fines. And it isn’t like these are really obscure traffic laws that no one knows about. Speed limit signs are posted in clear sight. Traffic lights aren’t rocket science; you either have a green light or you don’t. So, if you are being hit hard by the economy, it doesn’t make much sense to add to the problem by choosing to break the traffic laws.

For more information on driving safety and avoiding traffic fines visit our website at http://www.nationalsafetycommission.com/

Labels: driving safety, speeding ticket, traffic fines, traffic laws, traffic ticket