A Lifetime of Consequences. Distracted Driving Kills by Michelle Avola-Brown

A Split Second!

It takes less than five seconds to read a text message. At 55 miles per hour, that is enough time to travel the length of a football field.

What if you glance down to read a text or check a notification and don’t realize the light has turned red? Or if you don’t see a parent pushing a stroller through a crosswalk?

Or if you don’t notice when the driver ahead of you had to abruptly stop to avoid a child in the roadway? Or if you don’t realize you’re drifting from your lane while reading a news alert as a couple rides in a bike lane?

Those five seconds can end lives and lead to a lifetime of regret. April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month, and for Naples Pathways Coalition, this issue is deeply personal. Our community has embraced walking, biking, and outdoor living as part of what makes Naples special. But that freedom depends on something simple and powerful: drivers paying attention.

Every year in Florida, tens of thousands of crashes involve driver distraction. Behind each statistic is a story, a family disrupted, a life altered or ended, a moment that cannot be undone. Distracted driving is not a technology problem. It is a behavior problem. And behavior can change.

What Happened in Tallahassee in 2026?
During the 2026 Legislative Session, lawmakers debated legislation designed to strengthen consequences when handheld phone use contributes to careless driving.

Modified from the original clear bill language by the Government Operations Subcommittee Chair, Rep. Linda Chaney, the proposal would have only added enhanced penalties when a driver was cited for careless driving while holding a wireless device. Supporters included safety advocates, trauma professionals, and law enforcement leaders who see firsthand the human cost of distraction. However, all speakers who testified in committee, including myself, asked for a clear ban on hand-held device usage like the other 34 states with this life saving law.

As weak as the bill was, it did not pass. Recent polling data showed between 80 and 90% support for hands-free cell phone use legislation, with many voicing a desire for stronger language and higher penalties. Unfortunately, many of our elected officials chose not to follow through on what Florida voters asked for. For families who have experienced loss, for first responders who witness the aftermath of preventable crashes every day, and for those of us working toward safer streets, that outcome was difficult. Yet progress is rarely linear. Cultural change takes time. And we are not giving up.

Why Hands-Free Laws Matter
There are 34 states and more than 30 countries with comprehensive handsfree driving laws that send a clear, unmistakable message: if you are driving, your phone is not in your hand. Where these laws have passed, crash reductions have followed and road fatalities have dropped significantly.

Just as seatbelt laws and impaired driving laws shifted public norms over time, hands-free laws remove ambiguity with a simple requirement not to hold a device while driving.

In Naples, where more residents are choosing to walk and bike for health, for connection, for quality of life, distracted driving threatens that progress. This legislation protects the most vulnerable road users.

The person crossing the street does not know whether the approaching driver is glancing at a screen. The cyclist in a bike lane cannot predict whether the driver drifting toward them is checking a notification. We can and we must do better.

We Will Be Back in 2027
The statewide Hands-Free Florida Coalition, which Naples Pathways Coalition founded in 2022, continues to meet with elected officials across the state. We are sharing data and educating everyone we reach. We are strengthening partnerships with medical professionals, law enforcement leaders, and community advocates.

And in 2027, with new legislative leadership and new committee chairs, we will return to Tallahassee to advance hands-free legislation once again.

Because lives are worth the effort.

Because prevention is always better than regret.

Because the cost of inaction is measured in hospital rooms, rehabilitation centers, and empty chairs at family tables.

This Is Where You Come In
Safer streets do not materialize on their own. They are built through advocacy, education, and sustained engagement.

Your support allows Naples Pathways Coalition to:
• Meet with lawmakers year-round
• Commission and share safety research
• Organize statewide coalitions
• Educate the public about distracted driving risks
• Be consistently present in Tallahassee

We invite you to stand with us. Make the personal commitment to put your phone away or in a holder when driving. Talk with your family about distraction. Speak up if you are a passenger of a distracted driver. Contact your elected officials. Sign the petition at HandsFreeFlorida.org. And consider supporting Naples Pathways Coalition’s advocacy work so we can continue pressing forward in 2027. Visit NaplesPathways.org/Get-Involved for more information.

Five seconds is all it takes for tragedy.

Five seconds is also all it takes to decide to put your phone down.
Let’s choose wisely, for ourselves, for our neighbors, and for the Naples we love.

We invite you to get involved in our advocacy work by joining Naples Pathways Coalition or donating to support our mission to create a safe, walkable and bikeable Collier County.

Visit https://naplespathways.org/get-involved

Michelle Avola-Brown, Executive Director, Naples Pathways Coalition

For more information, please visit www.NaplesPathways.org and www.HandsFreeFlorida.org
If you have any specific questions, email me at Michelle@NaplesPathways.org