MISSION FOR NEWS 6. CERTAINLY A BIG DAY ARE TO THE STATE OF FLORIDA.
GLAD YOU ARE WITH US.
JUSTIN WARMOTH.
>> WE HAVE TEAM COVERAGE WITH
NEWS 6, AND TROOPER STEVE, BUT
WE START WITH THE MAN WHO
STARTED THIS ALL, NEWS 6 ANCHOR
HAN AUSTIN LIVE IN SARASOTA.
MATT, YOU HAVE BEEN PUSHING FOR
THIS DRIVING CHANGE SINCE YOU
WERE HIT BY A DISTRACTED DRIVER
NEARLY THREE YEARS AGO.
>> Reporter: THAT’S RIGHT, IT
HAPPENED RIGHT BY YOU ON
STATION.
I REMEMBER WHEN I WAS
INTERVIEWING A RICHARD STARK IN
SOUTH FLORIDA THAT FIRST PUT
TOGETHER, A TRECTSING AND TEXTIN
BILL.
HE TOLD ME IT’S SLIM AND NONE,
AND THIS IS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN
FOR A LONG TIME.
THREE SESSIONS LATER WE WATCHED
AT SARASOTA HIGH SCHOOL AS
GOVERNOR RON DeSANTIS SIGNS
THAT BILL INTO LAW.
TAKE A LOOK AT IT HAPPENED.
THE GOVERNOR SIGNS THAT, IT
BECOME WITHS A PRIMARY OFFENSE
IN THE STATE OF FLORIDA WHICH
MEANS A POLICE OFFICER AS OF
JULY FIRST WILL BE ABLE TO PULL
YOU OVER IF HE SEES YOU TEXTING
AND DRIVING.
IF YOU’RE IN A SCHOOL ZONE IN A
CONSTRUCTION ZONE IS IT GOES
EVEN FURTHER WITH MAKING IT
HANDS FREE THERE.
SO LET’S LISTEN IN TO SEE WHAT
THE GOVERNOR HAD TO SAY.
>> IT’S MY HOPE THAT BY TAKING
ACTION TO ADDRESS DISTRACTED
DRIVERS TODAY, THAT WE WILL BE
ABLE TO MAKE OUR ROADS SAFER,
AND HOPEFULLY PREVENT SOME OF
THESE CRASHES THAT WE HAVE SEEN,
INJURIES AND UNTOUR
OPPORTUNITILY SOME --
UNFORTUNATELY SOME OF THE DEATHS
WE HAVE SEEN.
>> Reporter: AS THEY HAVE
SAID.
IT’S BEEN A LONG ROAD FOR US
FIGURATIVELY AND LITERALLY.
WE HAVE DONE ABOUT 100 STORIES
ON THE TOPIC THE THROUGHOUT THE
DAY WE WILL SHOW YOU THE FIGHTS
I HAVE GOTTEN INTO WITH
LAWMAKERS AND SOME OF THE
FAMILIES WHO HAVE LOST SO MUCH
BECAUSE SOMEONE HAD TO SEND A
TEXT WHILE THEY EVER WERE
DRIVING.
IT’S GOING TO BE A BIG DAY.
>> Justin: MATT, GREAT WORK.
THANK YOU FOR HAD THAT.
THE NEW LAW DOES NOT TAKE EFFECT
UNTIL JULY FIRST GIVING PEOPLE
TIME GETTING USED TO PUTTING THE
PHONE DOWN.
WHAT INNED OF KIND OF IMPACT WIL
HAVE ON CENTRAL FLORIDA.
AND YOU SPOKE WITH JOHN MINA A
SHORT TIME AGO, WHAT DID HE HAVE
TO SAY.
>> Reporter: WELL, JUSTIN
JUST LIKE US ON NEWS 6 SHERIFF
MINA HAS BEEN WAITING FOR THIS
DAY BECAUSE HE BELIEVES THAT
THIS WILL SAVE LIVES.
AND THE HIS DEPUTIES WILL BE
TAKING THIS BILL SERIOUSLY AND
HE WANTS DRIVERS TOO.
IT’S A BAD HABIT TO ON YOUR
PHONE WHILE DRIVING.
AND YOU HAVE LESS THAN TWO
MONTHS TO PUT THAT PHONE DOWN OR
THEY WILL BE PULLING YOU OVER.
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR YOU
BEHIND THE WHEEL.
THIS IS HOW THE BILL BREAKS
DOWN.
IT MAKES TEXTING TRIAL DRIVING
AS -- DRIVING A PRIMARY OFFENSE.
THEY MEAN PHYSICALLY TYPING INTO
THE PHONE, GPS CALLING 91 ONE OR
SAFETY REASONS, THAT’S OKAY, BUT
IT’S BURYING YOUR HEAD IN THE
PHONE THAT WILL PULL YOU OVER.
AND COMPLETELY HANDS FREE IN
WORK OR SCHOOL ZONES.
YOU CAN’T HAVE YOUR PHONE IN
YOUR HAND AT ALL AT WORK OR
SCHOOL ZONES.
AND HERE IS ANOTHER THING YOU
DON’T HAVE TO HAND YOUR PHONE&
OVER TO POLICE, BUT SHERIFF MI
IN NA SAYS YOU CAN DO SO TO
PROOF YOUR INNOCENCE.
IT’S FAIRLY EASY TO SEE WHEN
SOMEBODY IS CLEARLY DISTRACTED
BY TEXTING.
>> WE’RE LOOKING FOR THAT
PERSON, LIKE I SAID, WITH HE
HAVE SEEN THEM DRIVING ABOUT
5-10 MILES SLOWER THAN ANYONE
ELSE AND MAYBE DISTRACTED BY
ACTUALLY TEXTING AND DRIVING.
>> Reporter: >> Reporter: SO WH
THIS TAKE EFFECT?
JULY FIRST OFFICERS CAN PULL YOU
OVER AND GIVE YOU A TICKET FOR
TEXTING AND DRIVING AND THEN
JANUARY FIRST THAT IS WHEN THE
TICKETS KICK IN FOR BEING ON
YOUR OWN AT ALL AT WORK OR
SCHOOL SOAP.
WILL YOU HAVE A THREE MONTH
BRACE PERIOD.
FROM OCTOBER TO JANUARY, THEY
WILL BE PULLING YOU OVER BUT
GIVING YOU WARNS, PUT THE PHONE
DOWN NOW, BECAUSE IT WILL COST
YOU.
WE WILL BE BREAKING DOWN THE
CITATION COSTS AT NEWS 4
STARTING AT 4:00.
-- NEWS 6 STARTING A THE 4:00.
>> Justin: LET’S BRING IN
TROOPER STEVE.
WHAT KIND OF SIGNIFICANCE DOES
THIS LAW HAVE?
>> AS A POLICE OFFICER, AS A
TROOPER THIS NOW GIVES THEM THE
TOOLS TO ENFORCE THE LAW.
THE LAST LAW WAS AN INITIATIVE
GOING GOOD GRACE, BUT IT DIDN’T
ALLOW US TO DO ANYTHING.
I REMEMBER DRIVING AROUND AND
YOU COULDN’T STOP ANYONE FOR
ANYTHING, YOU HAD TO FIGURE OUT
IF THEIR TAILLIGHT IS MESSED UP,
NOW YOU SEE SOMEBODY TOUCHING
THAT KNOWN, IT’S GAME ON.
AND YOU CAN SAVE SOMEONE’S LIFE.
>> Bridgett: SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION
ZONES AS WELL AS AICIAL
PROFILING BUTRACIALPROFILING.
>> RACIAL PROFILING HAS NOTHING
TO DO WITH THIS LAW.
>> Bridgett: BUT IT WAS A
CONCERN FOR SOME PEOPLE.
A VALID POINT FOR SOME PEOPLE.
>> BUT WHEN IT COMES TO
ENFORCING THE LAW, IT HAD
NOTHING TO DO WITH IT.
IT CAME DOWN WHETHER YOU HAD A
PHONE IN YOUR HAND OR NOT, AND
NOW THE LAW SAYS, IT’S HANDS
FREE ZONE IN A CONSTRUCTION,
HANDS FREE ZONE IN A SCHOOL
ZONE.
>> Bridgett: BUT THOSE
INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE PULLED OVER
THAT WILL BE RECORDED AS AS WELL
AS THE OFFICER’S WHO ARE DOING
THE CITATIONS.
THAT WILL BE RECORDED AS FAR AS.
>> JUST LIKE ANY TICKET, FHP.
A LOT OF AGENCIES HAVE BEEN
DOING THAT FOR YEARS WHEN IT
COMES TO THE CONCERNS, I’M NOT A
LAWMAKER, I’M ENFORCER, NOW THAT
THE LAW IS PUT INTO EFFECT, IT’S
CUT AND DRY FOR HOW THIS LAW CAN
BE ENFORCED.
>> Justin: ONE QUESTION I GOT
FROM A FACEBOOK VIEWER, IF I
HAVE VOICE TO TEXT CAPABILITIES
ON MY PHONE, AND MY PHONE HAS,
LET’S SAY, YOU KNOW, THEY’RE
GOING THROUGH, IT’S FINE IF
YOU’RE DOING THAT, BUT THERE ARE
EXCEPTIONS, OF COURSE, THE
CONSTRUCTION AND SCHOOL ZONES,
YOU CANNOT HAVE THAT PHONE IN
YOUR HAND.
IF YOU HAVE VOICE TO TEXT, IT
DOESN’T COUNT FOR THOSE AREAS?
>> LIKE IF YOU ARE THERE,
CLICKING AND ALEXA AND SIRI,
WHOEVER IS TALKING TO YOUR PHONE
AND YOU’RE HOLDING THE PHONE.
IT FITS IN YOUR HAND, I DON’T
CARE IF YOU’RE SAYING, TYPE
THIS, YOU’RE STILL HOLDING THE
PHONE.
IF YOUR CAR HAS THE TECHNOLOGY
IN THE STEERING WHEEL THEN YOU
WOULD BE OKAY.
THEY KEY IS HAVING THAT PHONE IN
YOUR HAND.
IF YOU’RE IN THAT HANDS FREE
ZONE OR WORK ZONE YOU STILL
COULD BE CITED.
>> Bridgett: TROOPER STEVE,
THANK YOU SO MUCH AND WE KNOW
THAT WE HAVE SOME TIME PERIOD
HERE WITH JUST WARNINGS UNTIL IT
BECOME --
>> THAT IS GOING TO HELP
EVERYBODY OUT.
GET EVERYONE MOTIVATED.
>> Bridgett: BUT PEOPLE WILL BE
STOPPED.
>> YES HOPEFULLY.
>> Bridgett: THE COVERAGE OF
DRIVING CHANGE BECOMING A LAW
CONTINUES AT NEWS 6 STARTING AT
4:00 P.M.
AND WE WILL BE TALKING WITH
LAWMAKERS WHO HAVE BEEN FIGHTING
TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE AND THE
PEOPLE WHO SHARED THEIR STORIES
AFTER LOSING LOVED ONES AND
BEING IMPACTED DID DIDDIES TRACT
DRIVING.