Distracted driving law takes effect July 1

Published 9:28 am Monday, June 18, 2018

In less than a month, many Georgia drivers will experience a culture shift as the state’s new Hands Free law takes effect.

Beginning July 1, the new Georgia Hands-Free Act prohibits drivers from having a phone or stand-alone electronic device in their hand or touching any part of their body while operating a motor vehicle on Georgia roadways. 

Motorists who are used to talking or texting while behind the wheel should take heed now and start eliminating the habit before the new law takes effect so the transition will be easier to maintain. 

If you don’t already have Bluetooth capabilities or hands-free access now is the time to get it. If you don’t plan on doing so, then check your phone settings to make sure that you have the “Do Not Disturb” feature to use while driving. This feature detects when a phone is moving and notifies the sender of a message or a phone call that the person they are trying to reach is driving and will contact them once their destination is reached. 

Go ahead and start putting this feature into practice so it becomes a habit.

The hands-free law also prohibits drivers from watching videos as well as recording videos, though GPS navigational videos and continuously running dash cams are permitted.

Drivers can listen to music through streaming apps on their phone, but they cannot activate their apps or change music through their phone while driving. Music streaming apps programmed and controlled through the vehicle’s radio system are allowed.

Music streaming apps that also have video are not allowed since the law specifically prohibits drivers from watching videos.

The new law is designed to prevent cellphones from interfering with a driver’s ability to operate a vehicle and  keep attention on the road. 

Distracted driving is a danger to everyone on the roadways. 

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, it is estimated that distracted driving plays a role in more than 3,000 deaths on the roadways each year. Keep in mind that texting while driving is already illegal in Georgia, and has been since 2010. However, traffic safety officials point to the increase in the number of devices and services designed to keep people connected as having a significant impact on the number of people using cellphones while driving. 

There will be no grace period for the new law’s enforcement, so if you haven’t done so already, now is the time to prepare and get in compliance.

It’s time for us to break the driving with cellphone habit and help save lives.