Charges dismissed for woman without right hand cited for holding phone while driving
13wham.com • • nation
Key Points:
- A traffic citation issued to a woman accused of holding a phone in a hand she does not have was dismissed at the request of the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office deputy who issued it.
- The citation stemmed from a February traffic stop where the deputy alleged the woman violated Florida's wireless communications law by using a handheld device while driving, despite her having no right hand.
- Florida law prohibits manually typing or entering information on a device while driving but allows holding a phone outside school or construction zones, which were not indicated in this citation.
- Legal experts noted that proving texting-while-driving violations is challenging unless officers have clear visual or video evidence, and many drivers pay citations without contesting them.
- The woman posted the stop on TikTok, sparking debate over the enforcement of Florida's distracted driving laws, and both she and CBS12 requested body camera footage, though PBSO has not commented publicly.