After decades of declining crash rates, the numbers started climbing again right around the time smartphones and social media became universal. The correlation isn't subtle. Distracted driving is a form of negligence, and distracted drivers can be held fully accountable for every dollar of harm they cause.
What counts as "distracted driving"?
Safety researchers group distractions into three categories. Most dangerous behaviors involve two or all three at once.
- Manual — hands off the wheel. Eating, reaching into the glove box.
- Visual — eyes off the road. Reading directions, checking the GPS, glancing at a social feed.
- Cognitive — mind off driving. Daydreaming, intense conversation, even hands-free phone calls.
Texting while driving, fiddling with the infotainment screen, and applying makeup all hit the trifecta. The crash risk multiplies with each additional category of distraction.
Isn't texting while driving illegal in Florida?
The DOT estimates texting raises crash risk 23-fold, and other studies find phone use impairs driving as much as alcohol. Florida law doesn't reflect that reality. Texting while driving is an infraction — a $100–$200 ticket — not a criminal offense. It's also a secondary offense, meaning police can't pull you over for it alone; they need another reason for the stop.
Talking on a handheld phone isn't restricted at all under Florida law, despite involving both manual and cognitive distraction.
Distracted driving is negligent driving
The criminal-side penalties may be light, but the civil side is where accountability actually happens. After a distracted-driving crash anywhere in Florida, call 305-677-2228 for a free case evaluation.