Florida Traffic Attorneys Discuss Possible Cell Phone Ban

Cell phone use while driving has been in the news a lot lately, thanks in part to a recently announced Department of Transportation ban on text messaging while driving for interstate truckers and bus drivers. Here in Florida, Palm Beach County commissioners are considering a ban on cell phone use while driving and on roadside panhandlers.

However, they’d have to overcome serious legal hurdles in the process.

For starters, the county does not have the authority to ban handling on city and state roads that crisscross the county, so the ban would only apply to county roads. And to be legal, the ban would also have to apply to roadside fundraisers like sports teams and community groups. In addition to that, the county attorney’s office claims that state law prevents local communities from banning cell phone use while driving, even though other South Florida counties have considered text messaging bans.

Source: Palm Beach County considers ban on roadside panhandlers and drivers using cell phones, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, February 2, 2010
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