Is distracted driving taken seriously in the State of Florida? Some would say yes, but I think no. In Florida, distracted driving is underrated and overlooked. He also isn't punished severely enough. “In 2012 alone, 3,328 people died in accidents due to distracted driving” (1). Teens and adults are constantly texting or talking on the phone without realizing the harm they are potentially causing to themselves and others. Distracted driving is also punishable only if a person is stopped for speeding, swerving, etc. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Teenagers find themselves more involved in distracted driving accidents than adult drivers. In most cases, it is due to texting while traveling or other variables such as speeding. It is therefore important to highlight the seriousness of distracted driving. In the five seconds it takes to look down and read a text message, a driver can travel the distance of an entire football field. In this, you can run a red light or a stop sign which can end with a fatal outcome, jail time or both. Most drivers don't take driving while doing something that can be seen as a distraction seriously because they have seen others do it (in the cases of teenagers) or feel confident that they can drive while texting. But no one is above the physics of distracted driving. The only solution to this is to put the phone down and focus on driving or have someone in the car to take care of phone calls, changing radio stations, and anything else that might serve as a distraction. Furthermore, the only way to get people to take distracted driving seriously is to make the consequences more severe. In the state of Florida, there is a texting ban for all drivers, but it is only a secondary law, meaning it only takes effect if a driver is stopped for speeding, running lights, swerving, etc. The problem is that there may not always be authorities able to catch this person who is texting while driving and who can potentially kill others or cause harm to himself. If it were a primary law, an officer could issue a driver a ticket for texting or talking without any other traffic infraction being committed, then motorists everywhere would put away their phones and drive appropriately so as not to run the risk of being stopped Everything. If the law doesn't get tougher, current distracted driving statistics will increase. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay All in all, people might say that the state does enough regarding distracted driving, but if it did, shouldn't the law against texting while driving be a primary law, instead of a secondary law? If that were the case, others would be more cautious and not use their phones and the number of deaths caused by distracted driving would be decreasing.