News

Attorney Michael B. Brehne, in conjunction with the N.O.P.E. Task Force, presented at Lake Mary High School about the consequences of drug consumption. The Narcotics Overdose Prevention and Education (N.O.P.E.) Task Force is a group of community leaders working to combat the illegal use of prescription drugs, narcotics, as well as other substances abused by young people.

In a recent list released by Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety Patrol, the state of Florida was named among the “Worst States” for lax highway safety laws. While this news is disconcerting, it can potentially serve as a catalyst for lawmakers to enact stronger highway safety laws. Currently, Florida only has six highway laws in effect. According to the report, Florida is missing a rear primary enforcement seat belt law, an all-rider motorcycle helmet law, a booster seat law, an ignition interlock law, and an all-driver text messaging restriction.

Lane splitting is the act of riding a motorcycle beside cars within the same lane, usually when traffic is slow or stopped. Doing so is against the law in Florida, as well as many other states Even in California, where lane splitting is legal, bikers are warned to use extreme caution when sharing lanes with cars.

Texting while driving is classified as a form of distracted driving. In recent years, many accidents have occurred due to drivers being distracted while texting. As of October 1st, a new law has gone into effect in the state of Florida prohibiting texting while driving. While well intentioned, this new law is rather limited. Distracted driving is considered a “secondary offense”, which means that a driver cannot be stopped for a moving violation, but could be ticketed for texting if stopped for a different infraction, such as speeding and the officer observed the texting or the driver admits to it.