Bill would bar local cell phone regulation

A Senate panel passes a measure that prevents cities or counties from requiring hands-free equipment.

By DAVID KARP
© St. Petersburg Times,
published November 29, 2001

TALLAHASSEE -- Ron McKeefery's younger brother Richard was changing a tire on the side of the Howard Frankland Bridge last April when a driver swerved and killed him instantly.

The driver had reached down for his ringing cell phone.

Ever since that car crash, McKeefery's family has vowed to improve highway safety by getting the state to require drivers to use hands-free cell phones on the roads.

But the Legislature headed in the opposite direction Wednesday.

The Senate Transportation Committee passed a bill that would prevent Florida counties and cities from requiring hands-free cell phones. Miami-Dade County passed an ordinance in September doing that.

The bill's sponsor, state Sen. Jim Sebesta, R-St. Petersburg, said he's not convinced yet that driving while holding a cell phone causes a large number of car crashes.

"The data is very confusing and contradictory," Sebesta said.

His bill would require the state to collect data for two years showing how cell phones cause crashes. Studies by the American Automobile Association show that cell phones contribute to between 4,000 and 8,000 crashes a year, or less than 1 percent of all crashes.

"That percentage is so small," Sebesta said.

Sebesta said he has used his hands-free cell phone three times to call 911 to report crashes.

Lobbyists for telephone and wireless companies said Sebesta's bill simply made the issue a statewide issue. It makes no sense for every county and city to pass different rules about cell phone use, said Susan Langston, executive director of the Florida Telecommunications Industry Association.

Tourists or drivers who unwittingly cross county lines might not know they are violating a local cell phone law, she said.

New York State passed a law this year requiring hands-free cell use, but don't expect Florida to do that. Sebesta, who chairs the transportation committee, said there's no support for a statewide law.

"To ban (manual) cell phones in Florida would be ludicrous," Sebesta said.

McKeefery, meanwhile, said his family will keep working to make driving safer.

"Driving is a fundamental skill, and we are not taking the necessary steps to make sure we take the distractions away," McKeefery said.

© 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111

Contact the Times | Privacy Policy
Standard of Accuracy | Terms, Conditions & Copyright