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Lawmakers will look to try and crack down on texting while driving in 2016. As Matt Galka tells us, there’s a push to ramp up penalties if you’re texting behind the wheel around a school.

Texting behind the wheel is a problem that Representative Richard Stark (D-Weston) is seeing too much of.

“I turn around and I look, and my wife is driving, and there’s a woman texting with her phone up to here! And she’s slow and I just..I want to do something,” said Rep. Stark.

Stark filed a bill for the 2016 legislative session to try and crack down on the risky behavior.  His bill would double a person’s fine if they’re driving and texting in a school zone.

“They’re having some issues in schools, probably more parents than the kids, but it’s an area we need to address,” he said

Legislation is also being planned to make texting while driving a primary offense.

Florida is one of only five states with texting laws that have the ban as a secondary offense – meaning a cop can’t pull you over for just texting.  Representative Irv Slosberg (D-Boca Raton) has been trying to change that.

“The bills that I do are grand slam home runs, road safety effects all of our citizens and our guests, but when you have legislation like this is takes a while to convince a lot of different members,” he said.

Florida Highway Patrol statistics show things aren’t trending in the right direction.  Distracted driving accidents have increased by 25 percent since 2012.

Critics of Florida’s current texting while driving ban say that the law doesn’t have any teeth.  A texting while driving secondary offense ticket only carries a $30 dollar fine.