Deal signs Hands-Free Law
Yesterday, Georgia Governor Nathan Deal made Georgia the 16th state in the nation to enact a law banning drivers from having a cellphone in their hand when he signed House Bill 673.
The law will take effect on July 1 of this year, drivers will no longer be allowed to have a phone in their hand or supported by any part of their body.
According to Director of the Governor’s Office of Highway Harris Blackwood, it has become second nature to pick up our phones when we are behind the wheel but if you have it in your hand while driving you run the risk of getting a ticket.
Texting, sending and receiving e-mails, posting on social media, and browsing the internet are all prohibited, but drivers can text if they are using technology that converts voice to text messages.
Watching and recording videos are not allowed except for videos that are used for navigational purposes and continuously running dash cams.
It is also illegal for drivers to have a phone in their hand when they are stopped for a traffic signal or stop sign.
It is only legal to make a hand-held phone call or send a text, e-mail or social media post when the vehicle is lawfully parked.
Drivers are allowed to have a phone in their hand to make emergency calls to report a traffic crash, criminal activity, fire, medical emergency or hazardous road conditions.
Law enforcement officers, fire and EMS personnel and employees, and contractors of utility companies are exempt under the law providing the call is related to their official duties or while responding to a utility emergency.
While most state and local law enforcement officers will be working to educate all motorists on HB 673 in the first few months, drivers should not expect to automatically receive a warning if they are stopped for violating the Hands-Free law.
After July 1, law enforcement officers can and will issue citations in crashes caused by distracted driving and to drivers they feel should be issued a citation for the violation the officer observed.