TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL)--Texting and driving in the sunshine state will soon be against the law.
Florida Governor Rick Scott signed the measure Tuesday.
It's so new some law enforcers say they haven't quite decided how they'll go about enforcing it. I talked with Tallahassee Police. Officers say it will up to their traffic division and patrol officers.
Brenna Egan McGee admits as dangerous as it is, she texts and drives.
It's that very action Governor Rick Scott says he wants to stop. Come October, Florida will join 39 other states, making it illegal to text and drive.
"I think it's good," said driver Brenna Egan McGee. "The more times you are penalized for it financially, people will at least cut down on it."
It's considered a secondary offense, which means you have to first be stopped for a primary offense like reckless driving.
If you're caught texting and driving the first time, it'll cost you $30.
A second time and it's a $60 fine plus three points on your license.
"It is a serious problem," said Bart Cassidy, the president of the American Safety Institute. "A car traveling on a 60 mile per hour road is going 90 feet a second. If you look down for four seconds or five seconds you've traveled 150 to 200 feet. "
The question for law enforcement is exactly how to enforce the law.
Georgia's texting and driving ban has been in effect since 2010.
Thomas County deputies say it's a law that can be hard to enforce.
"It's difficult to tell if someone is texting or if they're looking down at their fingernails," said Jones. "Of course when I stop them, they're going to say I wasn't texting. It's hard to prove unless I see the phone up."
