Scott's signature - applied before a thick crowd of law enforcement officers, state and local politicians and high school students - was the victory moment for a campaign that had lasted four years. That's how long it took the legislature to pass a law that prohibits sending text messages from behind the wheel of a moving automobile.
When it takes effect on the first of October, the law will allow anyone caught texting while driving to get a ticket - as long as they were stopped for some other, more serious traffic violation. That makes texting a "secondary offense" with a fine for first offenders of $30. For Boca Raton State Representative Irving Slosberg, who has based his legislative career on traffic safety, the bill is a disappointment. He says it was gutted by powerful lawmakers from three camps: People who dislike police, people who text and drive themselves, and libertarians.
"It started off with a primary, give us secondary offense, well you can text in traffic jams, well, you can text at red lights, well its only $30, well the police can’t even confiscate the records to see if you were on the cell phone unless you kill or seriously inure someone. So, it's politics and unfortunately there's no lobbyist for public safety", Slosberg said.
The anti-texting campaign, under the three-word slogan "It Can Wait" was fronted by cell phone companies including AT-and-T and Verizon. It publicized statistics that illustrate the danger of texting while driving. It also found that 44% of teenage drivers send messages while they drive. And nearly 80% complained they get lectured all the time by adults who text and drive as frequently as they do.