By: Allison Lane

The Transportation Department banned commercial drivers of interstate buses and trucks over 10,000 pounds, from text messaging while operating commercial vehicles.  President Obama signed an executive order prohibiting all Federal employees driving government owned vehicles or with government owned equipment, from texting and driving. 

Studies have shown that drivers who text and drive are six times more likely to get into an accident.  Research shows that a driver’s reaction time is decreased by thirty percent when the driver is texting and driving, versus a nine percent decrease when the driver is talking on the phone and driving.  The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s research shows that a driver who is texting and driving takes his or her eyes off of the road an average of 4.6 seconds out of every 6 seconds while texting.  This correlates to driving, without looking at the road, for the length of a football field, including end zones, at a speed of 55 miles per hour. 

This prohibition is effective immediately and will result in harsh penalties including civil or criminal penalties up to $2,750.00.  Prior to this prohibition, the District of Columbia and nineteen states ban all drivers from texting and driving, and ten other states restrict novice drivers from texting and driving.

The number of accidents that have been caused by texting and driving is unknown, because the police have not been required to keep track of it.  However, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that 80 percent of accidents are caused by driver inattention.  This inattention is continuing to increase with the use of cell phones and texting while driving.  A survey revealed that 60% of teenage drivers, text and drive.  The Transportation Department is concerned that it will be a difficult law to enforce, however, they have joined with safety advocates to create FocusDriven.  This organization will be similar to Mothers Against Drunk Drivers, to lobby against cell phone use and texting while driving.

Do not text and drive.

A new British public service announcement is gaining international media attention because of its graphic nature: however, it is also drawing attention to the fact that texting while driving is extraordinarily dangerous and puts many lives at risk when drivers turn their attention from the road to their cellphones.

The PSA shows three teenage girls driving down the road, giggling and having a great time. As one girl is shown texting while driving, she veers into the other lane and causes a major accident. She looks over at her friend, dazed, only to see a third car approaching the accident and violently crashing into them. The result is a realistic video with plenty of blood, smashing cars, breaking bones, death andthe reality of the danger that is texting while driving.

You can view the video here on YouTube. Before watching, be warned: this video is graphic and visually disturbing.

The law firm of Balkan & Patterson serves all types of personal injury, product liability and auto accident clients through Palm Beach and Broward counties, including Boca Raton, Lighthouse Point, Deerfield Beach, Delray Beach and Parkland. For more information, please call us at (561) 750-9191 or visit our website at www.balkanpatterson.com.

Parkland is taking the next steps necessary to create and enforce a city ordinance to ban text messaging while driving. The city commissioner Jared Moskowitz instructed the Parkland city attorney to draft an ordinance for the ban.

The issue could be brought before the city as soon as Sept. 14 - less than a month away. Parkland would be the first city within Broward County to outlaw texting while driving. Drivers are extremely distracted by texting while driving, and it greatly increases the chance of an accident.

Numerous studies have been published on the subject, with one even going so far as to say that texting while driving is more dangerous than drinking and driving. Regardless of which is worse, texting while driving puts all of us at risk, and it is an easy step to take in keeping ourselves and our families safe.

Balkan & Patterson is an auto accident and personal injury law firm in Boca Raton, with offices in Hollywood in Broward County. We serve personal injury and auto accident clients throughout South Florida, West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Parkland, Lighthouse Point and more. For more information, visit us online at www.balkanpatterson.com.

ommissioner Jared Moskowitz late tonight instructed the city attorney to draft an ordinance for the ban. The issue could be debated as soon as Sept. 14.

There are 17 states that ban texting while driving, including California, Maryland, New Jersey and Illinois. Efforts in the Florida Legislature have failed during the past two years but supporters said it will be introduced again in the next session.

“This seems like a no-brainer,” Moskowitz said after the meeting. “We are a young city; we have a lot of kids.”

Officials in Parkland, Florida, are weighing the options of making texting while driving illegal because of safety concerns. Texting while driving greatly increases the risk of an accident because a driver’s attention is significantly reduced - it is estimated that those drivers are 23 times as likely to be involved in an accident.

Seventeen states have already banned texting while driving. According to Parkland officials, the fines will not be determined until later, but could mimic similar legislation around the country. In California, for example, the fine for the first offense is $20. To view the complete story, please click here.

It’s already a law in a number of states, but the National Safety Council wants to create a nationwide ban on the use of mobile phones while driving. It’s no secret that talking, or even worse - texting - while driving is extremely dangerous and greatly increases the likelihood of an auto, motor vehicle or truck accident. When a driver is talking or texting, they cannot devote their full attention to the road and other drivers around them.

States like New York, New Jersey and California require that drivers use a “hands-free” set up when talking on their cell and driving. Other states have outlawed texting while driving, including Louisiana and Minnesota. With the heavy traffic and sheer number of drivers in Florida, the chances of an accident are already high, and using a cell phone while driving only increases that risk.

To view the whole story, please click here. For more information on safe driving tips, please visit our website at www.balkanpatterson.com. Our attorneys encourage you to use safe driving techniques while behind the wheel. For a complete list of states that have laws against cell phone use while driving, please visit the Governor’s Highway Safety Association’s website here.