The Florida Legislature is taking aim at drivers who allow themselves to be distracted by texting, cell phones or even ubiquitous GPS devices. Senate Bill 416 is specifically worded so that whatever device you use, no matter its function, if it is distracting you from the act of driving, it is prohibited. The wording of the bill addresses anyone who is “manually typing or entering multiple letters, numbers, symbols or other text in a wireless communication device.”

That pretty much covers everything.

If Senate Bill 416 passes, which seems all but assured, Florida will become the 36th state to ban texting and distracted driving. The penalties could be as much as a $30 fine and a minimum of 3 points on your license. If your distracted driving leads to an accident the penalties are even higher-up to 6 points added on your license.

Defensive driving experts know the importance of maintaining their focus where it belongs: on the road ahead and not on a digital device, chatting with your significant other; checking e-mail or the latest sports scores. There really is no excuse for distracted driving. As defensive drivers know, taking your eyes off the road even for a second is all you need for a crash to happen.

A defensive driving course can help you keep the points from adding up on your license. It can also help you understand just how dangerous it is to do anything behind the wheel–including lighting a cigarette, fiddling with the radio or even opening a candy bar. But not even traffic school can restore lives lost due to distracted driving.

More crashes are caused by drivers lack of attention than anything else. Anything that can wake drivers up to this fact is bound to have a positive impact on making the roadways safer for everyone.