Perdue Signs Bills Banning Texting While Driving (Atlanta: home, neighborhood)

[rcsteiner]

"Governor Sonny Perdue surprised lawmakers Friday afternoon when he signed two bills into law. One bans adults from texting while driving, the other prohibits teenagers from using their cell phone at all behind the wheel."

Perdue signs ban on texting while driving *| ajc.com

Any thoughts?

[Bulldawgfan]

On the surface it makes perfect sense. But how do you enforce something like that? Do the police simply need to have suspicion, or do they need to witness texting by adults? As unsafe as it is, and I do not do it often, I do not text with my phone up for everyone to see. And in my truck I look down onto cars... they cannot see up inside my truck. And I wonder how many twenty year olds are going to get pulled over while using their phone.
Trust me, I am all for this... but it sure seems a bit difficult to enforce.

[neil0311]

It's only if the cop sees you. GA needs a hands free law...period. That way if a cop sees you with a phone in your hand while driving, they can yank you.

Folks should use a bluetooth or other headset to make your call. Every day I pass these morons around Atlanta yacking on their phone and not paying attention. At least a handsfree means you're not fiddling with the phone while driving.

Teens have enough reasons to not be allowed to use a phone. I have a 17 year old and I'm very much in favor of this law.

[mikepayne]

what difference does it make how old you are????????? the laws should apply to all ages!!

[atlantagreg30127]

Yesterday I was driving home on a two lane suburban road. The car in front of me was jerking back and forth quite a bit, crossing the center line into the oncoming traffic lane three times in one mile (luckily there were no oncoming cars each time this happened). I assumed that either the driver was drunk (at 4pm??) or having a medical emergency.

When they pulled up to a stop light, I pull up next to them in a right turn lane and stopped, motioning for them to roll their window down. The woman who was driving had her smart phone in her lap, and still had both thumbs on it, texting away - with two young children in car seats in the back of the car.

I asked her if she was having a medical emergency and she gave me a "duh" look and said "no". I then asked her if she was texting while driving with two young kids in the car, as I had seen her swerving in her lanes. She just looked blankly at me. I lied and told her my brother is a cop and that I had reported her tag number to him, and if he caught her texting with kids in the car he would haul her butt to jail for child endangerment. She put the phone down and I drove away. While I'm sure she didn't text more while driving through that area, I seriously doubt my acting did anything to curb her habit long term. She was extremely lucky that someone else who was texting wasn't driving in those inbound lanes and swerving at the same time she was.

One would think that adults would know you can't look down into your lap and text on a phone while driving, but once you add kids into it, then yes, there needs to be a separate law for it that has very specific and stiff penalties. I am shocked Perdue signed it after giving the very odd reasons he was considering not doing so, but my guess is the MANY comments about it made on various news sites got his attention. I only wish it went one step further and banned people from holding/using phones while driving as well. Still, it's something.

[cityrover]

They will probably drive next to you for a while and watch you key.. Same as with seatbelts.

[southern no more]

Originally Posted by atlantagreg30127

Yesterday I was driving home on a two lane suburban road. The car in front of me was jerking back and forth quite a bit, crossing the center line into the oncoming traffic lane three times in one mile (luckily there were no oncoming cars each time this happened). I assumed that either the driver was drunk (at 4pm??) or having a medical emergency.

When they pulled up to a stop light, I pull up next to them in a right turn lane and stopped, motioning for them to roll their window down. The woman who was driving had her smart phone in her lap, and still had both thumbs on it, texting away - with two young children in car seats in the back of the car.

I asked her if she was having a medical emergency and she gave me a "duh" look and said "no". I then asked her if she was texting while driving with two young kids in the car, as I had seen her swerving in her lanes. She just looked blankly at me. I lied and told her my brother is a cop and that I had reported her tag number to him, and if he caught her texting with kids in the car he would haul her butt to jail for child endangerment. She put the phone down and I drove away. While I'm sure she didn't text more while driving through that area, I seriously doubt my acting did anything to curb her habit long term. She was extremely lucky that someone else who was texting wasn't driving in those inbound lanes and swerving at the same time she was.

One would think that adults would know you can't look down into your lap and text on a phone while driving, but once you add kids into it, then yes, there needs to be a separate law for it that has very specific and stiff penalties. I am shocked Perdue signed it after giving the very odd reasons he was considering not doing so, but my guess is the MANY comments about it made on various news sites got his attention. I only wish it went one step further and banned people from holding/using phones while driving as well. Still, it's something.

Wow, you sure have good eyes to be able to see she had her phone in her lap while you were in the car next to her. I am sure she was very scared of you and your threat.

[atlantagreg30127]

Originally Posted by southern no more

Wow, you sure have good eyes to be able to see she had her phone in her lap while you were in the car next to her. I am sure she was very scared of you and your threat.

I was in a raised SUV - she was in a lower compact car. Her cell in her lap and what she was doing on it was clearly visible.

I doubt I "scared" her other than making her put it down for a few minutes "just in case" I was telling the truth and she might get pulled over for endangering her kids. I'm sure the next time she got back in her car she started the same habit again.

I could really care less if people like her wrap themselves into a telephone poll because the actually think it's smart to text and drive. It's just one less "duh" on the road. However, as is the usual case, the idiots are usually not the ones who get hurt - they hurt others. In her case, she crossed a center line multiple times which could have hurt/killed others, and, she had two young children in her back seat. I'll gladly pull up next to people like that all day long and chew them a new one.

[johnatl]

^Well done, Greg! I couldn't agree more. I see these idiots every single time I leave my neighborhood - every single time. Imo, it is totally out of control at this point. I think the fine should be much higher than $150.

[Creek Hollow]

Originally Posted by neil0311

GA needs a hands free law...period. That way if a cop sees you with a phone in your hand while driving, they can yank you.

This, exactly! I agree.

Passing a law for one specific use of a cell phone is ridiculous.