MIAMI.- Among the laws that will come into force as of January 1, 2024, there is one that will in some way influence the way we drive on Florida state roads: the so-called HB 425 or transportation law.
Despite containing a broad regulatory framework in its 45 pages, the regulation on how to circulate on a road when there is a broken down vehicle or working on the shoulder draws special attention.
HB 425 states that when an emergency vehicle is parked on the shoulder of a highway, or is performing its task, or is stopped, a public service vehicle or any other automobile that is stopped on the shoulder with emergency lights or any signs, or there are people present inside or around the stopped car, the driver of any other vehicle traveling in the same direction will be obliged to take a series of measures.
First, you must leave the lane closest to the stopped vehicle, as long as you are driving on an interstate highway or any road with two or more lanes traveling in the same direction as the disabled or stopped vehicle on the shoulder.
Second, you must reduce your speed by about 20 miles per hour less than the posted speed limit on the road, as long as the posted speed limit is greater than 25 miles per hour. That is, if you are driving on a road whose limit is 30 miles per hour, you must reduce your speed to 10 miles per hour.
If the speed limit for the road in question is 20 miles per hour, then you must travel at 5 miles per hour when a vehicle is stopped on the shoulder, whether due to a breakdown or work.
The law also stipulates that violating this rule is a non-criminal violation that carries a fine of at least $30.
Another interesting regulation of HB 425 provides that the Florida Department of Transportation must coordinate with its federal, regional and local partners to establish standards to level the state highway system in accordance with existing standards to regulate the operation of transportation vehicles. autonomous driving.
In this context, it establishes that said department considers factors such as structural adequacy, the safety of each road and how the particularities of the environment of each road can affect autonomous driving.
Every year in Florida, the number of accidents exceeds 340,000, and the number of injuries exceeds 210,000 and nearly 3,000 people lose their lives on the roads.
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