Can you use your phone’s map app while driving? What Florida law says about that

Miami Herald Consumer Team
·2 min read
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Texting while driving is against the law in Florida. But there are exceptions.

And one of those exceptions is GPS. Drivers are allowed to use navigation and map apps while driving a vehicle.

But if you cause trouble on the road while trying to figure out where you’re going, you can be cited under the state’s distracted driving laws.

Here’s what to know:

Can you use your GPS while driving?

Using Waze, Google Maps or some other electronic navigational aid while driving isn’t against Florida law. That means you can’t be cited under Florida’s no-texting-and-driving law if you’re using GPS for navigation.

But that doesn’t mean you won’t be pulled over if a police officer spots you messing with your phone and detects distracted driving like swerving or close calls on the road. Distracted driving is against the law in Florida, no matter the reason.

Even though you can hold your phone and confer with your navigation app while moving in Florida (as opposed to California law where you can’t even touch your phone), road safety advocates and traffic lawyers suggest setting and forgetting your GPS before you start driving.

If you have passengers, let them be your navigator and work with your phone GPS. Or buy a holder to mount on your dash like most Uber drivers do.

Are there other exceptions to Florida’s texting-and-driving law?

When it’s legal to text: Florida made texting and driving a primary offense in 2019. That means police officers can stop drivers if they see them texting while driving. But not every circumstance is illegal. There are the exceptions when it’s OK to text behind the wheel.

In addition to using GPS, you can text legally if:

▪ You are stopped in traffic (at a light, in gridlock, parked).

▪ Your vehicle’s automatic driving system is engaged (in other words, if the car is driving and not you).

▪ You are using your phone to report an emergency or suspicious activity to authorities.

▪ You are accessing emergency, traffic or weather alerts.

▪ Your communication doesn’t require multiple keystrokes or reading text.

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