New Georgia State Law: Holding Cell Phone Banned While Driving

ATTENTION GEORGIA DRIVERS:  HOLDING A CELL PHONE WHILE DRIVING NOT PERMITTED

Coming up later this summer, on July 1, 2018, a new Georgia law will take effect that will affect all drivers in Georgia, and hopefully make the roads a little bit safer.  

Maybe it is counterintuitive for a lot of people, but the new law does not go far enough to keep people from driving in a dangerous or irresponsible manner, which is something that drivers should also keep in mind.  Most people know that all manner of distracted driving is unsafe, whether it is driving while intoxicated, driving while tired, or otherwise.

But studies also show that hands free telephone conversations while driving are just as distracting, and should also be avoided.  This is something that a lot of people do not understand – I know that it surprised me when I first learned that hands-free conversations were just as dangerous as any other type of call.

The fact is that the very act of talking to another person on the telephone is distracting your attention from the road, hands free or not.  Your brain only has so much attention and needs to be focused on the roadway while you are driving.  I know this is not fun to hear and that people want to multitask, but don’t do it while driving.  You are endangering yourself and everyone else on the roadway and no conversation is worth it.  The National Safety Council has a quick-read infographic on the topic, link below.

Interestingly, the same danger does not appear to be present by talking to other passengers in the automobile.  This may be due in part to getting the benefit of having another set of eyes on the road and on the driver.

The AJC has more details on the new law:https://bit.ly/2rm03uo

National Safety Council: https://bit.ly/2Hesu2H

See also: https://www.babcocklegal.com/news/