Florida has not been able to come up with a texting ban in the last few years.  But the Walt Disney Corporation is making a move before the state legislature does. 

A new rule bans all 60,000 Disney employees from texting while driving on the job. The ban also prohibits employees from making or receiving phone calls while driving on the job unless they use a hands-free device.  The company rule applies to workers driving their personal vehicle or a company-owned car.

Bryan Malenius, spokesman for Disney, said the rule used to apply only to Disney bus drivers and that the decision to extend it to all employees came naturally.

“Safety is a cornerstone of our company and at the heart of everything we do. We continuously look at ways to enhance safety across our company and across our parks and resorts for guests and cast. Encouraging safe driving practices is simply the right thing to do,” he said.

For Sgt. Kim Montes of the Florida Highway Patrol, this decision makes total sense.

“Running red lights, swerving out of their lane, and causing fatal crashes. It’s one of the most dangerous things you can do behind the wheel,” said Sgt. Montes.  “If you’re traveling 55 miles an hour and you look down at your phone for three seconds, you’ve traveled the length of a football field and that’s with your eyes off the road. Anything can happen.”

Disney says each texting while driving will be taken seriously, and that in some cases, an employee might lose its job.

Source: WFTV, November 16, 2010; News4Jax, November 16, 2010;

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