To the Editor:
I, Emily Slosberg, a member of the Florida House of Representatives, have filed legislation to prohibit the use of all hand-held wireless communication devices while driving. The“Hands-free Florida Bill” (HB 45), will be considered this session, would ban the holding or touching of any wireless communications device while driving.
Opponents to HB 45 believe the bill will lead to invasion of privacy and racial profiling. This bill was specifically drafted with these concerns in mind. As to privacy, only in the event of a crash resulting in death or personal injury would a driver’s wireless communications be admissible to determine if a device was in use. To prevent racial profiling, when a driver receives a citation, the officer must record the driver’s race. This information will be in a database for an annual report.
The FLHSMV reports that in 2016, 50,000 vehicle accidents in Florida were caused by distracted driving; 3,500 people experienced serious and incapacitating injuries and 241 were fatal. In that same year, 3,450 fatalities were attributed to distracted driving across the USA.
The University of Utah study says, how drivers using a wireless device showed greater impairment than legally intoxicated drivers.
These aren’t just statistics, these are real tragedies that affect real people, every day.
Each of these tragedies brings me back in memory to 1996 to the day I lost my twin sister Dori in a car crash. I live with this tragedy every day. In honor of my sister Dori, public safety is my number one priority.
LET’S BE AGENTS OF CHANGE AND MAKE THIS HAPPEN!
Emily Slosberg
Florida House of Representatives
District 91 Delray Beach
