It’s no secret – distracted driving is a big problem! Here are only a few of the alarming statistics associated with distracted driving:

• 1 out of every 4 car accidents is caused by texting and driving
• Texting while driving is 6x more likely to cause an accident than driving drunk
• Answering a text takes away your attention for about five seconds. Traveling at 55 mph, that’s enough time to travel the length of a football field
• According to a AAA poll, 94 percent of teen drivers acknowledge the dangers of texting and driving, but 35% admitted to doing it anyway
• 21 percent of teen drivers involved in fatal accidents were distracted by their cell phone

Despite these statistics, Florida was, until 2019, one of the few states that still permitted cell phone use while driving. Finally, that has changed. As we all know, on July 1, 2019, it became an offense to text and drive. Now, as of October 1, 2019, Florida will prohibit the use of a handheld wireless device while driving in a designated school crossing, school zone, or work zone area. As of now, only warnings will be issued for those that violate this law. However, that will change at the end of the year, when tickets, fines, and points against the driver’s license will be issued.

As attorneys who represent injury victims of auto accidents, we applaud the State of Florida for finally taking this action. It’s our hope that this new law will help prevent many needless accidents caused by distracted driving. If you are unfortunate enough to find yourself a victim of distracted driving, we are here to help. At SouthShore Injury Attorneys, our experienced attorneys represent those injured as a result of all accidents, including those caused by distracted driving, in the Apollo Beach, Ruskin, Riverview, Wimauma, and entire Tampa Bay area.

Free Information

If you have questions about your Florida auto accident case, you can download our Free Report – Things You Must Know If You Were In a Car Accident – which is available at our website, or you can click the link provided. You can also contact us at 813-797-5998.