Huge fines starting in October will be hitting residents in this state as lawmakers and authorities tighten road safety regulations and laws on license plate hiders. Generally, new fines associated with new driving legislation pertain to coming down hard on unsafe and unlawful driving practices and behaviors, such as speeding and distracted driving. Increasing the severity of penalties associated with these infringements is often the only option lawmakers have to deter drivers from breaking the law; however, this state is introducing fines for an unlikely road traffic policy.
Huge fines starting in October across multiple states
This month, a number of new legislation went into effect regarding road traffic safety laws and the associated penalties for violating these laws. Keeping all road users safe and reducing the number of road traffic accidents and fatalities is a major priority for authorities; however, doing so requires collaboration from all road users to take it upon themselves to feel a personal responsibility towards their fellow road users.
Two of the most commonly violated road traffic policies are speeding and distracted driving, with the latter particularly thanks to phone usage while behind the wheel. Part of the problem is that these violations tend to be perceived through a lens of relative risk by the person operating the vehicle. For example, speeding 10mph over the speed limit is not seen as a major violation in comparison to speeding 50mph over the speed limit. However, speeding, for example, is directly correlated to an increase in road accidents occurring. This means that even a ‘minor’ speeding violation still poses risk.
Similarly, taking your eyes off the road to answer a text for five seconds, assuming you are driving at 55mph, is the equivalent to as if you drove the length of a football field with your eyes closed, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. However, because these violations are not seen as significant when compared to other unlaw behaviors such as driving under the influence, drivers continue to abuse them, forcing lawmakers to pass harsher penalties if convicted of these behaviors.
New major fines for license plate hiders in Florida
This month, Florida House Bill 253 goes into effect, which punishes drivers not for speeding or distracted driving but for obscuring the visibility of their license plate. While this has already been an illegal practice in Florida, the new legislation increases the severity of the penalties associated with this behavior if convicted:
“What used to be a traffic ticket can now land you with criminal charges, up to a second-degree misdemeanor…” said Florida’s Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office on social media platform X.
If your license plate number is obscured, the associated penalty is a second-degree misdemeanor carrying a fine of up to $500 and up to 60 days in jail. Further, selling such a device is now classified as a first-degree misdemeanor, with fines of $1,000 and/or a year in jail.
Stricter penalties to keep the roads safe in October
Authorities have had their work cut out for them this year across states, with new legislation being passed to ensure that all road users are kept safe. With Halloween and the holiday season fast approaching, this becomes an even bigger imperative, as lawmakers see an uptick in driving violations around this time.
As part of House Bill 253, the new legislation also makes it illegal to install rotating and flashing front-facing red, blue, and red-and-white lights on your vehicle. This ban comes just in time for Halloween, when residents may try to impersonate emergency responders and authorities, such as EMTs and police officers. If you are caught violating this new ban, you will face a fine of up to $5,000 as well as the risk of a five-year jail time conviction or both.
