April is distracted driving awareness month in Florida and drivers are being urged to keep their eyes on the road and focus on driving in an effort to reduce distracted driving crashes.
More than 56,000 distracted driving crashes happened last year in Florida alone, and 75% of those crashes were caused by the driver being inattentive behind the wheel.
Distracted driving crashes resulted in 333 fatalities in 2021 – the highest recorded in Florida in at least 8 years.
Texting is one of the most dangerous driver distractions since it takes your eyes off the road, your hands off the wheel and your mind off of driving.
Texting and driving is a primary offense in Florida, which means you can and should be pulled over for doing it.
The penalty for first-time violators for texting and driving is $30 plus court costs, which could add up to more than $100.
If you are caught texting and driving in a school zone or work zone you face a $60 fine, court costs and three points added to the driver’s license.
But texting is not the only distracted driving behavior; other dangerous driving distractions include putting on makeup, tending to children in the backseat, eating, tuning the radio, checking GPS navigation and even daydreaming.
And remember, if you see someone driving dangerously, you should report it by calling *FHP on your cell phone.
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