Florida is considering joining 16 other states and bar teenage drivers from talking on the phone while behind the wheel.

Thanks to studies by Allstate Insurance group that have found that a high number of teens text message and talk on the phone while driving, Florida Lawmakers  are spearheading SB504 and HB193 which would create stiff penalties for teens caught chatting or texting behind the wheel.

According to the way the bill is currently written, a driver 18 or under could not be pulled over for using a mobile device alone, if a teen was seen using their phone while speeding or during any other moving violation, there would be an additional citation issued which would carry with it a minimum of a 1 point penalty on their driving record.

Teens using hands-free devices would not be immune to the effects of this law as lawmakers are trying to minimize distraction, not just the actual use of the mobile devices.

One of the indirect benefits of such a bill would be that parents would have to police their children as insurance companies would raise rates faster as points are deducted for higher risk driving behavior.

The final points of these bills have not been decided… and lawmakers would like to see a provision for Emergency Use… but this is a step in the right direction for protecting teenage drivers.

Read the article on Sun-Sentinel.com by following this link -o->

Florida might ban cell phone use by teen drivers

Follow this link to hear how Allstate teamed up with Jason Wade of the band Lifehouse to write a song about safe teen driving -o->

Allstate’s Teen Safe Driving Program

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David A. Podgursky, MBA
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