When can you text and drive in Florida? What Florida law says
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Here’s what to know about the state’s texting-and-driving rules:
Can you use your phone when stopped?
A driver may legally text when a vehicle is fully stopped, such as at a red light or stop sign or gridlocked in traffic. But the law requires you to put down the phone once the car is moving again.
Can you be pulled over for being on your phone?
Using your phone while driving is a primary offense, which means a police officer can stop you for that reason. That wasn’t always the case.
Phone use behind the wheel used to be a secondary offense until Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a new driving law in 2019. Before then, an officer could only cite you for using your phone after you had been pulled over for another offense, such as speeding or an improper lane change.
Can you use your phone to check a map or an emergency?
Florida law allows drivers in a moving vehicle to use phones and devices for GPS navigation and for getting emergency messages such as weather and traffic alerts.
Will you get a ticket for using the phone while driving?
▪ If you’re caught, you can be fined for texting and driving. A first offense brings a $30 ticket and a possible three points on your your driver’s license.
▪ If a second offense happens within five years of the first one, the ticket is $60 and a possible three points on your driver’s license.
▪ In school zones or construction zones, it’s a minimum $60 fine and possibly three points on your license — even if it’s your first offense.
Can drivers text in a self-driving car?
You can text away while you leave the driving to your car. The law says that a driver whose car has an “automated driving system engaged” won’t be punished for using the phone while behind the wheel.