Florida Company Takes on Texting and Driving Issue

It is no secret that texting and driving is one of the most dangerous activities that a driver can engage in. Even so, Florida has some of the most lax texting and driving laws in the country. Recently, a bill that would make texting and driving a primary offense passed in the Florida House of Representatives. However, it is likely that this bill will stall in the Senate and no change will be enacted anytime soon. Currently, a driver in Florida can only be pulled over for texting and driving as a secondary offense; as such, law enforcement can only stop the driver for committing a more egregious traffic offense, instead of for texting.

In an effort to combat these lax laws, some in Florida are tackling the issue themselves, in the form of a smartphone app. United Efficiency, a small software company, is trying to reduce the amount of distracted driving, according to Click Orlando. United Efficiency has been working hard over the years in a variety of projects that affect cellphone use while driving. In fact, an app developed by United Efficiency eventually became the DriveMode of AT&T.

Most recently, United Efficiency is combating texting and driving in commercial vehicles, not just individual drivers, through an app called FleetMode. FleetMode is an application that sends incoming calls to voicemail and sends an automatic reply to any text message that comes in. The fleet manager will be notified if a driver attempts to use their cellphone while driving. If you are not a commercial driver who has to use FleetMode, but would still like an app that can prevent phone use while driving, there are many smartphone applications that can help. There is no text important enough to risk your life to send.

Texting and Driving Dangers

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that texting and driving can be six times more likely to cause an accident than drunk driving. Texting and driving accounts for 1.6 million crashes a year, resulting in serious injuries, or even death, for a large number of victims. The National Safety Council estimates that one in four crashes are caused by texting and driving.

Texting and driving is an especially dangerous type of distracted driving. It involves visual, manual, and cognitive driving distractions. A visual distraction includes anything that causes you to take your eyes off of the road. A manual distraction is any time that your hands are off of the steering wheel. A cognitive distraction is anything that takes away your focus. If you are traveling at 55 miles per hour, taking your eyes off the road for only five seconds is the equivalent of driving the length of a football field. Sadly, that can lead to a catastrophic collision.

Let Us Help You with Your Case

If you or a loved or a loved one has been injured by a driver who was texting and driving, you are not alone. The experienced Florida attorneys at Leifer & Ramirez are here to help you explore your options and find out what remedies are available to you. Contact us today for a free consultation.

Resource:

https://clickorlando.com/news/central-florida-company-takes-on-texting-and-driving-with-new-app