Florida recently became the fifth state to roll out a new app that provides real-time legal guidance from an attorney to drivers during a traffic stop or car accident to de-escalate roadside interactions between both drivers and law enforcement officers.  

TurnSignl was developed by a Minnesota-based tech company that provides real-time legal guidance from an attorney to drivers, all while their camera records the interaction. The company’s stated mission is to protect drivers’ civil rights, de-escalate roadside interactions, and ensure both drivers and law enforcement officers return home safely.

During a traffic stop or after a car accident, users can press a button to immediately begin recording the interaction and get connected to an attorney over video chat for expert legal guidance. The full video recording is saved to the users’ cloud.

TurnSignl, a Black-owned app, provides lawyers who are licensed to practice in Florida and understand local regulations that can best support drivers in their jurisdiction, according to a company press release. Meldon Law in Gainesville will be one of the local law offices involved with the app. 

The expansion adds to TurnSignl services also available in Minnesota, California, Georgia and Tennessee. The app currently has nearly 20,000 downloads nationwide.

TurnSignl launched in 2020 in the wake of George Floyd’s death and a national movement for accountability in policing. After watching the movement unfold, the three co-founders

decided to create a way to empower their community by bridging the gap between law enforcement and the citizens they serve.

“Too many times we’ve seen how quickly a traffic stop can become a stress-inducing and

even life-threatening occurrence, especially for people of color,” Jazz Hampton, co-founder and CEO of TurnSignl in a statement. “At TurnSignl, we have created a piece of the solution to bridge that gap and provide access to calming legal guidance that can change the trajectory of those interactions. We went to the marches, and we went to the vigils, but we couldn’t wait on the sidelines anymore. We always say that if we can’t legislate, then we have to innovate, so that’s exactly what we did.”