Members of Lee County Legislative Delegation:
BikeWalkLee, a coalition raising public awareness and advocating
for complete streets in Lee County, has long urged the Legislature to improve
the safety of all road users in Florida.
In particular, our top legislative priority for the past six years has
been passing a bill to strengthen Florida's laws dealing with distracted
driving, in particular the weak “texting while driving” law. As the 2019 legislative session begins, we
urge you to strengthen roadway safety laws to address the growing dangers of
distracted driving. Specifically, we
request that you co-sponsor the pending bill (HB 45/SB 76) that would make
texting or talking on a hand-held cell phone a “primary” offense, dubbed the
“Hands-Free Florida Law.”
Across the nation, overall traffic fatalities have surged in the
past four years. In Florida, traffic
fatalities climbed by 25% between 2014 and 2017. In Lee County, fatal traffic crashes
increased much faster –40% between 2014 to 2017. According to the Florida Dept.
of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, there were almost 50,000 crashes
involving distracted driving in Florida in 2016, and these crashes accounted
for more than 3,500 serious injuries and 233 deaths.
Most experts agree that the primary cause of the surge in traffic
fatalities is distracted driving, increasingly caused by the use of smart
phones and internet apps.The National Safety Council reports that the risk of a crash is four times greater when
a cell phone is in use. According to the national “Safe Driving Report:
2016-2017” (issued by the insurance firm EverQuote Inc.), Florida ranked the second-worst state for distracted
driving.
Recent studies show there is a relationship between individual
state roadway safety rankings and that state’s driver safety laws and
enforcement of those laws.While Florida is
one of the most dangerous statesin the country for road users, it ranks as the seventh worst state for driver
safety laws(2016 study by the Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety). Florida is one of only four states that
doesn't make texting while driving a primary offense—which allows police to
pull over motorists for offenses. Clearly, one of the reasons Florida's traffic
fatalities are among the highest in the nation is that it has very weak driver
safety laws in place.
Florida's alarming increase in traffic fatalities is not only a
concern for driver safety, it is of particular concern for vulnerable road
users -- pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorcyclists -- who are at the greatest
risk when drivers take their eyes off the road.
The national 2016 “Dangerous by Design” report ranked Florida as the most dangerous state in the country
for pedestrians, and eight of the
most dangerous metro areas in the U.S. are in Florida, with Lee County being ranked the most dangerous
in the country!The 2018 “Dangerous by Design” report is due out this month
and we anticipate that Florida will continue its dubious distinction as worst
in the country.
This is a crisis that can no longer be ignored by the Florida
Legislature.
It is time to address the larger problem of use of cell phones while
driving, not just texting. Not only is
the current Florida texting law weak, it is difficult to enforce. Laws prohibiting all motor vehicle drivers
from using hand-held electronic communication devices while driving can be more
effectively enforced.
We know that stronger laws will reduce Florida’s roadway
fatalities. Of the 15 states and the
District of Columbia that have enacted “hands-free” laws, 13 saw an average
17.5% decrease in traffic fatalities within two years after passing and
enforcing their new laws. Applying these
findings to Florida, if HR 45/SB 76 were enacted an
estimated 545 lives could be saved each year.
In each of the past six years, the Florida Legislature failed to
take any action to strengthen its weak anti-texting law, and took no action to
address the broader causes of distracted driving. It is critically important that the Legislature
take action this year to address the
growing dangers presented by the use of electronic devices while driving.
We urge the Lee delegation to support HB 45/SB 76. Further, given that Lee County citizens are
disproportionately at risk, we encourage
you to take a leadership role in championing this legislation and work with
your leadership to ensure that the bill is enacted this year.
Thank you for your support.
Darla Letourneau
on behalf of BikeWalkLee
cc: Lee MPO Members
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