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November
25, 2007
Senate Transportation Chairman Carey Baker, R-Eustis, and Rep. John Legg,
R-Port Richey, have introduced legislation (SB504 and HB193) to make
Legg says his legislation is homegrown.
"I'm the father of two teenagers who text-message more than
they talk on the cell phone," said Legg. "We have a rule they can't
use their phones or text while driving. But I see their friends doing it at
stop signs or with one hand on the steering wheel."
The legislation would allow law enforcement to issue non-criminal traffic
citations to drivers younger than 18 caught using an electronic wireless
communications device while driving, meaning no cell phones, laptops or hand-helds.
Headsets wouldn't be allowed either.
But the proposal would allow a ticket to be written only when the driver is
stopped for another infraction, similar to the way
Baker said that provision should make the measure acceptable to most lawmakers
when the Legislature convenes in March.
Sen. Dave Aronberg, D-Greenacres, and Rep. Kelly
Skidmore, D-Boca Raton, said the bill sounds like a good idea. Aronberg said he would be careful when reading the bill to
make sure there are exceptions in emergencies. Skidmore said she thought the
bill should be expanded requiring adults to use hands-free devices.
"But certainly young folks learning to drive should be more focused and
restricted from even using hands-free," Skidmore said. On today's roads,
"If you make a mistake someone is dead, dying or injured."
Legislation banning cell phone use for all drivers was first proposed in
Baker cited similar concerns last year when he blocked efforts to allow cameras
to be installed at intersections to catch red-light violators, drawing criticism
from some law enforcement officials, safety advocates and newspaper editorial
boards that called for such devices.
Concerns about government over-reaching are likely to be raised with the
proposed teen cell phone ban, but Baker said the measure is warranted.
"I just know how kids are," Baker said. "They get distracted
easily, and that's how accidents happen."
A study by the Allstate Foundation, an group allied
with the insurance giant, found that 13 percent of teens admit to
text-messaging while driving.
"We have a problem with all drivers, really, using cell phones. But I
think this is a reasonable step," Baker said.
Talking or listening on a cell phone is among the most frequently cited
distractions affecting drivers involved in a serious auto accident, according
to the Florida Department of Highway Safety & Motor Vehicles, which has not
taken a position on the legislation.
"What you want to stop is the social networking by text message while
they're supposed to be focused on the road," Aronberg
said.
Some parents — and even teenagers — say the ban sounds like a good idea.
"It makes sense," said Lorraine Zaron
of Boca Raton, who has two teenage sons. "I do talk to them about not
using the phone while driving, but whether they listen to me or not — I'm not
in the car with them."
Jade Kral, 17, of
"Most [teens] aren't allowed to use cell phones, but they do anyway,"
Kral said, adding the ban "would probably scare
them into not using them."
Kral said if the ban passed, it would affect her
cell phone use while driving. "If it's an important call, I would use it
briefly, but I wouldn't use it for longer conversations anymore."
Ben Bornstein, 15, a sophomore at
"People are texting around here all the
time," Bornstein said. "That's how a lot of teenagers get in
accidents."
Bornstein's mother, Debra, 43, of Maitland, said the restriction would allow new
drivers to stay focused — and think twice before answering a cell phone or
replying to a text message.
"Kids would realize that the message can wait until they pull over or get
out of the car," Debra Bornstein said.
The ban's age restriction would be unfair, said Anna Annecca,
16, a
"It shouldn't just be restricted to teenagers," she said. "I
know older people who drive so much worse."
Staff Writers Juan Ortega, Maria Herrera and Jerome Burdi
contributed to this report.