JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- New reports indicate texting and driving is on the rise and Florida lawmakers are now trying to ban it.
Drivers who are talking and texting behind the wheel are easy to spot. Action News caught plenty of them in the act. For Marcus Cuevas, it's a tough subject to talk about. "My sister flipped her truck while texting and driving. It was a real eye opening experience for me," said Cuevas.
That's why he and other students were involved in a texting and driving video competition for Allstate. A crash in St. Johns County in 2009 prompted lawmakers to try and make driving and texting illegal in Florida. Proposals have failed in the past, but a new bill in the Senate was approved by the Senate Transportation Committee this week.
It comes the same week as a new report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. It says texting and driving grew by 50 percent last year and nearly four thousand people were killed because of the distraction. Marcus hopes people hear those numbers and stop taking risks so others don't end up like his sister. "Don't do it because it can be a life altering experience. She was lucky and took it for granted and it could've changed her life that day. It's not just your life, it's others that are at risk too," said Cuevas.
The bill still has to be approved by the full House and Senate before going to the governor. If it passes, drivers caught, would face tickets, court fees and points on their license.
