BROOKSVILLE, Fla. — Twenty-seven new laws are in effect in Florida, the most notable of which says you must be off your phone when driving through a school or work zone.
This is part two of a distracted driving law that is already in place.
But a family whose 9-year-old son, Logan Scherer, was killed because of a distracted driver say the law still isn't tough enough.
"We don't ever want another family to know what these things feel like for us," Jordan Scherer said. The Scherers say that is a step in the right direction, but they want to see lawmakers do more.
"What we really want to see Florida do is not just stop at work and school zones, we want everywhere to be 'hands-free,'" Brooke Scherer said.
Even though it's painful, they want to share their story.
"What I saw that day was my son's body was laying on the side of the road," Brooke Scherer remembered.
Investigators say Gregory Andriotis was on his phone when he slammed into the back of the Scherer's SUV. The family lived in Riverview at the time and were driving through Brooksville with their kids. Their son and daughter were sitting in the back.
She was badly injured, he didn't survive.
"And the last image I ever saw of my son was a yellow tarp and as they took him away he got smaller and smaller," Brooke Scherer said.
Andriotis faces multiple charges, including vehicular homicide. It's cases like this that inspired Florida lawmakers to pass stricter distracted driving laws, including those new restrictions that took effect Oct. 1, that require drivers to use "hands-free" technology in school and work zones.
The Scherers believe Florida's distracted driving laws are too weak and hope people will think about the consequences before they pick up their phones.
"People have to listen and understand that they're not invincible and that anything could happen to anyone at any time," Brooke Scherer explained.
The family set up a foundation to stop distracted driving called the Living for Logan Foundation.
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