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ORLANDO, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) - Right now, officers aren't allowed to pull you over for just texting and driving, but a proposed law could change that.
It passed in the House on Tuesday.
State legislators are steering closer to a law that would allow officers to pull drivers over for texting and driving.
We talked to Glenn Victor of the Florida Safety Council.
He said, "To me personally, it means safer roads for all of us, not just locally, but in the state. Florida's behind in passing this. We're just one of four states that don't have a primary offense for texting while driving."
He says it's happening way too often.
"There was a time when if you saw a car weaving in front of you, you were concerned that driver was under the influence and tried to stay away from them. And now you see a car weaving, you don't even think that. You think to yourself, 'Oh, they're texting.'"
So why wouldn't some House lawmakers vote for the bill?
Keyna Cory, of Florida's Don't Text and Drive Coalition, said, "104 yes votes and only nine no votes, and a lot of those were dealing with racial profiling."
She believes harsher penalties could make a difference in texting and driving.
"That means more points off your license and a $30 or $40 fine."
Glenn says over 50,000 crashes occurred in one year as a result of distracted driving.
"The average text they say takes five seconds for people to send. If you take your eyes off the road for just five seconds at 55 mph, the average passenger vehicle will travel the distance of a football field. So think about that for a moment... This bill will absolutely save lives."
Under the bill, if you're holding a phone or anything else to communicate, you'll get pulled over, but hands-free devices and GPS would be allowed.