'That one second can change your whole life:' Bill making Florida hands-free state advances to House
Since 2019, Florida drivers have been able to be pulled over and ticketed for texting while driving alone, but this year Florida lawmakers are looking to take the state totally hands-free.
>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<
The law that made texting while driving a primary offense was spearheaded in part by Demetrius Branca, who lost his 19-year-old son Anthony after he was hit and killed by a distracted driver in 2014.
[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]
“Anthony went under the wheels and within 30 minutes he was dead and that day changed my life forever. And since then I’ve been on a mission to bring awareness to this,” said Branca.
Since that law was passed, distracted driving crashes have continued to claim hundreds of lives in Florida each year.
In 2022, 275 Floridians died in distracted driving crashes.
There have already been seven fatalities this year, along with nearly 2,700 distracted driving crashes.
Branca noted enforcing the law has proven difficult.
Related Story: Citations for texting and driving in Florida begin on Jan. 1
For example, in Duval County there have already been 118 distracted driving crashes this year, but in all of last year a total of only 123 citations were issued according to JSO.
“You can hold your phone and look at it while you’re driving and then if someone questions you about it, all you have to do is say well I was looking at my GPS, or I was updating my maps,” said Branca.
But Branca is hoping the hands free bill moving in the Florida House, which bears the name of his son Anthony, will help turn the tides.
Related Story: Hundreds of Florida drivers cited for distracted driving under new law in two and a half months
The “Anthony Branca and Anita Neal Act”, sponsored by State Representative Allison Tant (D-Tallahassee) would make Florida the 30th state in the nation to go totally hands free.
“Florida as a state, ranks second worst in this country for distracted driving,” said Tant during the bill’s second committee hearing earlier this week.
Under current law, Floridians can’t send text messages, or emails on their phones while driving.
But under the hands-free bill, Floridians would have to put their phones up entirely and use speakerphone, Bluetooth or other hands-free devices, if they want to avoid being issued a $30 ticket for a first offense.
Here in Jacksonville, Abby Martin’s 20-year-old brother Ethan was hit and killed by a distracted driver back in 2021.
“That one second of them looking down made them not realize the light was red and they ran the red light and ended his life,” said Martin.
She told Action News Jax she supports the push to make Florida a hands-free state.
She argued texting isn’t the only way a phone can distract a driver.
“Even checking your map. You can look down for one second and that one second can change your whole life,” said Martin.
Read: Gov. DeSantis signs changes to prohibit students from using phones and TikTok in schools
While the bill is moving in the House, but hasn’t been brought up in the Senate yet.
Branca told Action News Jax he hopes that changes, as he believes going fully hands free would help save lives.
[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]
“To me what’s important is making sure that nobody has to go through this who doesn’t have to go through this. And we shouldn’t. Nobody should,” said Branca. “This is a pointless, self-centered act that is completely preventable and we just need a government that’s willing to hold people accountable.”
Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
