Vital Message below from State Senator Ted Deutch reprinted from Sun-Sentinel:

From the Sun Sentinel, July 30th, 2009:
Florida can't wait for federal mandates to prevent texting while driving.
By Ted Deutch

This past week, a major research study concluded that drivers who text while behind the wheel of a motor vehicle are 23 times more likely to crash than other drivers. In response to this report, Congressional leaders on Wednesday proposed a nationwide ban on texting that would force states to write laws banning electronic messaging in vehicles within the next two years or risk losing 25 percent of their annual federal highway money.

With over 14 million licensed drivers in Florida, and hundreds of thousands of new licenses issued each year we cannot afford to wait until a federal bill mandates us to protect the safety of our roadways. Nor can we afford the further cuts to our already depleted transportation budget that we will face if we sit back and wait.

For two years, I have sponsored legislation that would ban texting while driving, but the bill was never heard. This latest report confirms that the time to act is now. I will again sponsor legislation that will impose a statewide ban on texting for all drivers together with a complete cell phone ban for public transportation operators and school bus drivers, and limitations on cell phone use by new drivers.

Texting is a danger to the driver, his passengers and anyone else on the road. According to the study, the average text message takes a driver's eye away from the road for 4.6 out of every 6 seconds. This is the equivalent of driving the length of a football field at 55 mph without looking at the road! The New York Times recently reported that texting and driving is more dangerous than drunk driving. If we teach our kids that it is wrong to drink and drive, why are we allowing behavior that is potentially as deadly?

There will soon be teens on the road who have no memory of life before cell phones. We cannot continue to ignore this dangerous and sometimes deadly problem. I am calling on citizens from across Florida to urge their legislators to join me in helping to save lives by making our roads safer. Texting behind the wheel imperils the driver and so many others. Let's finally make this dangerous behavior illegal.

Ted Deutch is a Democrat who represents the 30th district in the Florida Senate.

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