Last week, a Tampa judge allowed a person injured in an auto accident to seek punitive damages from a driver who may have been texting. Although other courts in Florida have previously allowed punitive damages for that, this appears to be the first case in the Tampa Bay area that has allowed punitive damages on that basis.

Courts in our state have always allowed punitive damages against people who caused accidents while intoxicated. This is based on a recognition that driving under the influence is a menace to the public. Driving under the influence goes beyond “mere negligence” into the realm of grossly negligent or reckless acts.

The parallels are obvious. Studies on driving performance show texting and driving is at least as dangerous as driving under the influence. Texting takes so much of a driver’s attention away from the road that it results in something just as bad as drunken impairment. Even a person who believes they can multi-task successfully cannot drive safely while sending and receiving messages from their phone.

This judge’s decision is also important because the Florida legislature has been regrettably slow in addressing this problem. Despite clear evidence about the hazards, Florida lawmakers have never moved texting and driving up to a primary offense. It is still a relatively minor “secondary offense” under our traffic laws.

A secondary offense is a stepchild among traffic offenses. Standing alone, it cannot be a basis for a traffic stop. Instead, an officer can cite someone for a secondary offense if they are already stopping them for some other reason. That means an officer could not even pull a driver over if they simply saw the driver texting. The officer would have to let the driver go unless and until the driver committed some other specific offense – such as running a red light or causing an accident.

As in many other cases and situations, the courts are getting ahead of the legislature on this. Let’s hope other judges follow the Tampa judge’s lead and allow punitive damages for texting and driving. That may help persuade people to finally put their phones down and watch the road. While the legislature should still act in the long run, anything courts can do to help make our roads safer right now is worth applauding.

Contact the Tampa Car Accident Law Firm of Roman Austin Personal Injury Lawyers for Help Today

For more information, please contact the legal team of Roman Austin Personal Injury Lawyers for a free initial consultation with a car accident lawyer in Tampa. We have four convenient locations in Florida: Clearwater, New Port Richey, and Tampa.

We serve throughout Pinellas County, Hillsborough County, Pasco County, and its surrounding areas:

Roman Austin Personal Injury Lawyers – Clearwater Office
1811 N. Belcher Road, Suite I-1
Clearwater, FL 33765
(727) 787-2500

Roman Austin Personal Injury Lawyers – Congress Ave Office
2360 Congress Avenue
Clearwater, FL 33763
(727) 591-5610

Roman Austin Personal Injury Lawyers – Tampa Office
6601 Memorial Hwy Suite 202
Tampa, FL 33615
(813) 686-7588

Roman Austin Personal Injury Lawyers – New Port Richey Office
2515 Seven Springs Blvd.
New Port Richey, FL, 34655
(727) 815-8442