According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), distracted driving is responsible for nearly 3,500 deaths across the country each year. Then there’s the 390,000 that are injured due to the likes of texting and driving, eating, drinking, or something similar annually.

Texting is certainly the distracted driving practice that’s been getting the most attention. Think of it this way: If you’re texting and driving a vehicle at 55 miles per hour, you’ve gone about the length of a football field in about five seconds. A lot can happen in a split second, let alone five seconds. You can learn about a lot of this in FL traffic school.

Bill HB 33

In an effort to drastically curb the number of distracted driving accidents in Florida, state lawmakers have introduced Bill HB 33, which, if signed into law, would make texting and driving a primary offense and come with much more serious penalties. According to Jackie Toledo, a state representative from Tampa that helped create the bill, more than 45,000 accidents in 2015 stemmed from distracted driving, resulting in about 200 deaths and almost 40,000 injuries.

So just what would this bill, if passed, entail when it comes to penalties for distracted driving? They’re quite steep:

• A first offense would result in a $30 fine, plus court costs. The grand total would likely result in a penalty of more than $100.

• A second-time offender within a five-year span would be charged with a moving violation. Three points would be added to their license and they’d likely pay a fine of somewhere north of $150.

• A distracted driving offender that causes an accident would be hit with six points on their driver’s license.

• Any distracted driving violations in a school zone would warrant an additional two points against a driver’s license in addition to other penalties.

The bill is a bold proposal from a state government really looking to crack down on distracted driving – and you can learn a lot more about the true danger of distracted driving at our Florida school, named the best traffic school online by various reputable sources. Our defensive driving school can serve as a great refresher for learning the rules of the road, for getting points removed from your license or for being proactive and showing your insurance company how serious you are about driver safety.

As the debate over the dangers of texting and driving continues to rage, so to are those who have the evidence which shows quite clearly that fatal collisions caused by distracted driving are continuing to rise. This is providing ammunition to state legislators who seek to curtail this behavior with fines and punishments which fit the crime.

Right now 38 states have laws on the books which address the problem of distracted driving. Some states ban the use of all handheld devices by drivers for any reason while other states have focused on specific aspects of distracted driving such as texting while driving. In the 12 states where no such laws exist there are efforts currently underway to create and approve such laws.

In states where these laws already exist efforts are underway to make the penalties even more severe. Legislators are proposing laws which would increase the fines for texting and driving (or distracted driving, where that is the ban) and provide harsher penalties in general.

In New Jersey, the state Senate Law and Public Safety Committee approved a measure this month that would increase fines for handheld cellphone use, including texting, from $100 to $200 for the first offense. Offenders could have their driver’s license suspended for 90 days for the third and ensuing violations. The bill will next be heard by the Senate Budget Committee. Elsewhere:

>> The California Senate approved a bill in May that would cost drivers caught texting or talking without a hands-free device $30 for a first offense — a $10 increase — and $60 for a subsequent offense, up from $50. The bill goes next to the Assembly.

>> Connecticut last year increased fines for using handheld cellphones and text messaging while driving, from the previous $100 to $125 for the first offense, $150 to $250 for the second, and $200 to $400 for the third and subsequent violations.

Texas state legislators have said they believe the issue of whether or not to ban drivers from using handheld devices is best left up to the cities, and not the state. When the National Transportation Safety Board released their recommendation that all states ban handheld devices, Texas lawmakers were the first to say it was very unlikely to happen there.

In fact, cities like Dallas and Houston already have comprehensive bans on the use of handheld devices by drivers. Now Arlington has joined the list of Texas cities that bans handheld devices while driving, and already the new law is having an impact.

In fact, since the law went into effect last Thanksgiving, just four citations have been handed out, despite increased awareness and enforcement by law enforcement officers. City officials say the lack of citations shows that their driver education programs are working. Before the law went into effect, the city conducted a series of public service announcements letting drivers know that a texting ban was coming, what the punishment would be and why they shouldn’t have been doing it anyway.

Drivers learn at traffic school that distracted driving is worse, more dangerous, than driving under the influence of alcohol. It just doesn’t make sense to believe you can send a text message while driving down the highway at 55 mph. Or any speed, for that matter. But traffic school online isn’t the only place you can learn about the dangers of texting and driving: Try watching your nightly news.

According to statistics just released b y the NTSB distracted driving causes more traffic fatalities than any other single cause. In fact, you are twice as likely to have a crash if you try to text and drive than if you got behind the wheel after drinking. That doesn’t mean you should put down your cell phone and pick up a beer, however. It means that you need to be focused on your driving skills when you get behind the wheel. Nothing else.

So the next time you’re cruising through Arlington, Texas, remember to put the cell phone. In fact, if you’re cruising anywhere, lock your cell phone in glove box just to be on the safe side.

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