Georgia one step closer to banning drivers from cell phone use

RABUN COUNTY — According to the Georgia Department of Transportation, the number of distracted driving crashes in Georgia has risen by more than 400 percent in the last decade.

There were 25,215 crashes in the state last year where inattentive, cell phone or distracted was listed as the contributing factor compared to 5,784 such crashes in 2006.

However, Georgia is now one step closer to joining 15 other states that have already made it illegal to hold a cellphone while driving.

By a non-unanimous voice vote, the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday approved a bill by Republican Rep. John Carson to crack down on distracted driving.

Carson’s bill has already passed the House, but it took nearly a month before the Senate committee voted on the controversial measure.

Carson says drivers who are texting or surfing the web are to blame for a recent spike in fatal crashes across Georgia. He says these crashes have led to huge increases in auto insurance premiums.

The Senate committee voted to lessen the proposed fines for a first-time offender from $300 to $75. Repeat offenders would face bigger fines.

Georgia currently has three distracted driving laws: 40-6-241, requires drivers to use due care; 40-6-241.1, bans anyone under the age of 18 with a Class D or Instructional Permit from using a cell phone while driving; and 40-6-241.2, which applies to all drivers, you cannot write, send or read text-based communications while driving.