A bill to make texting while driving a primary offense in the state of Florida has unanimously passed its first hurdle in the House of Representatives.
The House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee approved House Bill 33.
Florida is currently one of only a handful of states where officers cannot pull over drivers for texting while driving. This bill would give them the authority to do so.
Right now, distracted driving is considered a secondary offense in Florida, meaning officers can only issue citations for texting if the driver is first pulled over for other offenses.
After passing the first subcommittee, HB 33 must still clear two more panels.
Florida’s Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles says nearly 50,000 crashes in the state were caused by distracted drivers in 2016, including 233 deaths.