Man Fined $48K For Using Phone Jammer While Driving

Don’t you hate when you’re driving and all you see is people still using their phones to chat away? While people still use their phones whilst driving, even though it is hard to find a country which hasn’t made this act illegal, people still avoid using Bluetooth devices and speakers built into their cars. A man in Florida, Jason Humphreys, found this just a little bit too annoying, deciding to take matters into his own hand by concealing a phone jammer inside his car.

The man in question decided to place the device under his Toyota Highlander’s passenger seat, blocking and interfering with cellular service for hundreds of drivers who took the Interstate 4. While police were tracking the moving dead spot for days before they managed to find Humphreys, who insisted he was just “fed up with watching cell phone usage while people were driving”.

Florida doesn’t have a ban on using phones while driving, only texting while driving. The Federal Communication Commission (FCC) does have rules against people who interfere with emergency workers ability to communicate, something which the jammer would have done while active.

The end result has been a rather large fine of $48,000 for operating the phone jammer for a period lasting over 16-24 months. While I understand his anger, surely blocking a phone call just means they’re going to keep redialing and trying to contact the person on the other end?