An $8.8 million award to the family of a Miami woman killed in a texting while driving accident has drawn attention to Florida’s lack of distracted driving laws.

• Phone records used to prove texting while driving

• Florida has shot down proposed distracted driving laws since 2002

• Six new potential laws in the works for 2012

Death by Texting

Myriam del Socorro Lopez and her husband were driving through Miami in 2008 when their car was struck by defendant Luis Cruz-Govin, then 17. Lopez was killed in the accident, while her husband suffered substantial injuries.

According to phone company records produced by lawyers for Lopez’s family, Cruz-Govin was texting his girlfriend when the accident occurred.

While Cruv-Govin paid fines and lost his license for speeding and reckless driving charges, he was never charged with vehicular homicide. Nor were there criminal penalties for his phone activity, because Florida has no laws against calling, texting, sending emails or otherwise manipulating electronic devices while driving a car.

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