Florida – Help Solve the Distracted Driving Problem

WE SAVE LIVES CALLS ON HIGHWAY SAFETY OFFICIALS TO LAUNCH NATIONAL DISCUSSION ON DRUGGED DRIVING
September 19, 2016
California – Help Solve the Problem of Impaired Driving
September 19, 2016

Florida – Help Solve the Distracted Driving Problem

Ask your legislator to support SB 328. This bill was introduced by Senator Thad Altman.

This will make Distracted Driving a Primary Offense in Florida.

  • Florida’s goal was to reduce traffic deaths to 2,084 in 2015. That goal was not reached. Traffic deaths increased by 40 percent.
  • Numerous studies show that cell phone use quadruples the risk of crashes.
  • Distracted Driving crashes have increased more than 25% in Florida since 2012.

You may learn who your Representative is by going to this link.

Letter of Support

This is the We Save Lives letter of support for your reference and use. Thank you for caring.

February 5, 2016

Senator Thad Altman
314 Senate Office Building
404 South Monroe Street
Tallahassee, FL 32399-1100

RE: SB 328 (Altman) Wireless Communications Devices – SUPPORT

We Save Lives is an international organization with more than 50 partners from around the world. We focus on the 3 D’s. drunk, drugged and distracted driving. We Save Lives is pleased to support SB328, a bill that would allow Florida law enforcement to pull drivers over solely for texting while driving. This would put Florida in line with the 41 other states who have made texting and driving a primary offense. Currently Florida law only allows officers to cite drivers for texting and driving if they have been pulled over for another offense, an ineffective and unenforceable law. SB328 would send a clear message to Floridians that texting and driving is unacceptable. We must make distracted driving as socially unacceptable as drunk driving. Making texting and driving a primary offense is a first step.

The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles states that “distracted driving crashes in Florida have increased 25 percent since 2012. Even though teens represent only five percent of licensed drivers, they were responsible for 12 percent of distracted driving crashes. Drivers aged 20–29 were responsible for 31 percent of crashes.

Saving lives is the primary concern of We Save Lives and that is why we support SB328. It is also the right thing to do. As this bill targets only those individuals who believe that driving dangerously and irresponsibly is their right, it will send a strong message about the dangers of texting and driving.

Sincerely,

Candace Lightner

Candace Lightner
President of We Save Lives.org
Founder of MADD
703-296-4708

Other organizations who support SB 328

The FL DNT TXT+DRIVE COALITION whose members include:

AAA
AARP
American Society of Safety Engineers
Audible Broadcasting
AutoNation
Central Florida Expressway (CFX)
Chemours
City of Orlando
Concrete Coalition of Florida (CCF)
Enterprise Holdings
Florida Chapter of the American College of Surgeons
Florida Committee on Trauma
Florida Concrete & Products Association
Florida Independent Concrete & Associated
Products Association
Florida Neurosurgery Society
Florida Orthopedic Society
Florida PTA
Florida Police Chiefs Association
Florida Public Health Association
Florida Roof Deck Association
Florida Sheriffs Association
Masonry Association of Florida (MAF)
Milton Police Department
National Association of Credit Management- Improved Construction Practices Committee
(NACM-ICPC)
National Waste & Recycling Association
Oviedo Police Department
Punta Gorda Police Department
Quality Block & Supply, Inc.
Quality Precast Co.
R & R Rebar Fabricators, Inc.
Republic Services
Southwestern Suppliers, Inc.
Town of Ponce Inlet
Walt Disney World Resort
We Save Lives.org

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