There have been two wrecks confirmed in the past 24 hours, according to law enforcement officials.
So far, no injuries have been reported.
According to Georgia State Patrol (GSP), troopers are working a wreck this morning on Meadows Lakes Boulevard in Cedartown. There’s no more information available at this time relating to the cause or of injuries.
Polk County police worked a wreck occurring around 11:30 p.m. Thursday night at Mountain Home Loop Road near Jackson Chapel Road.
The one-car crash occurred with a young man ran his car into a ditch. Officials said no injuries were sustained in the wreck, but the man was arrested for failure to maintain lane.
Read more: The Fish Wrap - Two accidents on local roads occur over 24 hours
Source
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Three injured in Fayette patrol car wreck
A Fayette County sheriff's deputy and a mother and her 4-year-old were injured in an auto accident Wednesday afternoon.
Fayette Sheriff's Capt. Deborah Hannah was responding to a call with the lights and siren of her marked Ford Explorer patrol vehicle activated when she hit 29-year-old Danielle Mask's car just before 1:30 p.m.
Mask was turning left from a stop on Hellen Sams Parkway onto South Jeff Davis Drive when she turned into the patrol vehicle's pathway, Fayette County Sheriff's Office spokesman Maj. Bryan Woodie said.
Hannah wasn't able to stop or avoid striking Mask's Pontiac, Woodie said.
Both Hannah and Mask were wearing seatbelts, and Mask's daughter was restrained in a booster seat, authorities said.
Mask was taken to Atlanta Medical Center and her daughter was taken to Scottish Rite Children's Hospital, both to be treated for non-life threatening injuries, Woodie said.
Hannah was taken to Piedmont Fayette Hospital and treated for injuries that were not considered serious, he said.
Because the collision involved a law enforcement vehicle, the Georgia State Patrol is conducting an investigation that is ongoing.
Source
Fayette Sheriff's Capt. Deborah Hannah was responding to a call with the lights and siren of her marked Ford Explorer patrol vehicle activated when she hit 29-year-old Danielle Mask's car just before 1:30 p.m.
Mask was turning left from a stop on Hellen Sams Parkway onto South Jeff Davis Drive when she turned into the patrol vehicle's pathway, Fayette County Sheriff's Office spokesman Maj. Bryan Woodie said.
Hannah wasn't able to stop or avoid striking Mask's Pontiac, Woodie said.
Both Hannah and Mask were wearing seatbelts, and Mask's daughter was restrained in a booster seat, authorities said.
Mask was taken to Atlanta Medical Center and her daughter was taken to Scottish Rite Children's Hospital, both to be treated for non-life threatening injuries, Woodie said.
Hannah was taken to Piedmont Fayette Hospital and treated for injuries that were not considered serious, he said.
Because the collision involved a law enforcement vehicle, the Georgia State Patrol is conducting an investigation that is ongoing.
Source
Monday, June 28, 2010
Could texting while driving ban be enforced in Georgia?
Members of a Georgia House committee considering two bills to outlaw texting while driving raised repeated questions during debate about whether it could even be enforced.
According to Morris News Service, the two bills would impose a fine and add points to a driver's record. Similar laws have been enacted in a growing number of states as handheld electronic devices have become more common.
John Cabrer, who grew up in Senoia but now lives in Fullerton, Calif., said his state passed a no-texting law that went into effect this month. Cabrer has some concerns about what that might mean for his privacy.
"What should be illegal is for law enforcement or anybody else to go into your account records, and find out if you were texting right before you ran over that highway patrolman and construction worker," Cabrer said.
"I mean, does it really matter why you did it?"
He suggested that since the laws are difficult to enforce, there might be a technological solution.
"All phones are GPS aware," he said. Theoretically, said Cabrer, there should be a way to "calculate speed, and disable texting when the threshold is exceeded."
A poster at The Times-Herald Web site agreed that enforcement of anti-texting laws could become "a privacy issue."
"The only way the law can be enforced is for a citizen to be forced to surrender their personal private cell phone to a police officer who will then have access to their call logs and contact information to decide if they have in fact been texting while driving," said the poster. "This is information a judge normally has to issue a search warrant for when cause has been shown. Now individual officers will be able to demand to look into your phone. Why not just enforce reckless driving laws already on the books?"
But other posters to The Times-Herald Web site are more supportive.
"My son was hit head on by a driver on his phone," said one poster. "This driver was in his late 50's that struck my son. Yes, it totaled out my car. My son is in the hospital. He has had four operations so far, more to follow... in the spur of a moment, you never know what's going to happen."
According to the Morris News Service, nearly everyone who spoke in favor of the prohibition at the Georgia Capitol this week admitted to texting themselves while behind the wheel.
"I will have to tell you I am an expert at texting while driving," said one of the authors, Rep. Allen Peake, R-Macon.
Even though enforcement may be difficult, Peake said, enacting a law will serve as a deterrent and save lives.
Source
According to Morris News Service, the two bills would impose a fine and add points to a driver's record. Similar laws have been enacted in a growing number of states as handheld electronic devices have become more common.
John Cabrer, who grew up in Senoia but now lives in Fullerton, Calif., said his state passed a no-texting law that went into effect this month. Cabrer has some concerns about what that might mean for his privacy.
"What should be illegal is for law enforcement or anybody else to go into your account records, and find out if you were texting right before you ran over that highway patrolman and construction worker," Cabrer said.
"I mean, does it really matter why you did it?"
He suggested that since the laws are difficult to enforce, there might be a technological solution.
"All phones are GPS aware," he said. Theoretically, said Cabrer, there should be a way to "calculate speed, and disable texting when the threshold is exceeded."
A poster at The Times-Herald Web site agreed that enforcement of anti-texting laws could become "a privacy issue."
"The only way the law can be enforced is for a citizen to be forced to surrender their personal private cell phone to a police officer who will then have access to their call logs and contact information to decide if they have in fact been texting while driving," said the poster. "This is information a judge normally has to issue a search warrant for when cause has been shown. Now individual officers will be able to demand to look into your phone. Why not just enforce reckless driving laws already on the books?"
But other posters to The Times-Herald Web site are more supportive.
"My son was hit head on by a driver on his phone," said one poster. "This driver was in his late 50's that struck my son. Yes, it totaled out my car. My son is in the hospital. He has had four operations so far, more to follow... in the spur of a moment, you never know what's going to happen."
According to the Morris News Service, nearly everyone who spoke in favor of the prohibition at the Georgia Capitol this week admitted to texting themselves while behind the wheel.
"I will have to tell you I am an expert at texting while driving," said one of the authors, Rep. Allen Peake, R-Macon.
Even though enforcement may be difficult, Peake said, enacting a law will serve as a deterrent and save lives.
Source
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
‘A formula for disaster’ States crack down on texting while driving
In the annals of distracted driving history, texting while motoring down the road isn’t even the latest chapter.
Ever-advancing technology already lets drivers surf the Internet from their car dashboard. Before that, drivers have diverted — and are still diverting — their attention from the road while turning the radio dial, putting on makeup during the morning commute, chowing on a rushed lunch or reaching for a dropped pen.
You get the point.
Now, the Georgia Legislature is considering outlawing texting while driving.
Call it TWD.
Two bills (HB 944 and HB 938) aim to curb it. However, questions linger about how the ban would work. How can law enforcement know if a driver is texting or using a cell phone for something else, such as making a call? Will reading a text message be disallowed? How about checking a sports score on the Web?
Roger Williams is one of the people who will decide. He’s a Republican state representative from Dalton. Williams supports a texting while driving ban. Asked about the bigger issue of distracted driving and how to legislate it, Williams said, “Of course, there are a lot of distractions in a vehicle. People eat hamburgers, they read books and all that, but texting takes so much attention away from the road.”
As far as enforcing the proposed ban, he believes legislation may be tweaked to apply to wrecks that are caused by a driver who was texting.
“I don’t think the state patrol or law enforcement is going to be pulling people over and looking to see if they’ve got their cell phone out,” Williams said.
While driving into work at the state Capitol, he said he often sees people oblivious to their surroundings while typing away on their cellular devices.
“I shy away from them,” said Williams, who has spent about 20 years off and on as a representative. “Especially at traffic signals. They’ll be texting on that thing and traffic gets backed up. Or they’ll swerve out of their lane and almost run into you. You’ve got to be very careful.”
The problem of texting while driving is worsening as adults become more technologically-savvy and as teenagers ignore the possible pitfalls, said Dave Colmans, director of the Atlanta-based Georgia Insurance Information Service (www.giis.org). The organization supports legislation to discourage texting while driving.
“What we’re trying to get people to realize (is that) when you do have to look away from the road to see what you’re texting and to read what has been sent to you, it’s just a formula for disaster,” Colmans said.
Source
Ever-advancing technology already lets drivers surf the Internet from their car dashboard. Before that, drivers have diverted — and are still diverting — their attention from the road while turning the radio dial, putting on makeup during the morning commute, chowing on a rushed lunch or reaching for a dropped pen.
You get the point.
Now, the Georgia Legislature is considering outlawing texting while driving.
Call it TWD.
Two bills (HB 944 and HB 938) aim to curb it. However, questions linger about how the ban would work. How can law enforcement know if a driver is texting or using a cell phone for something else, such as making a call? Will reading a text message be disallowed? How about checking a sports score on the Web?
Roger Williams is one of the people who will decide. He’s a Republican state representative from Dalton. Williams supports a texting while driving ban. Asked about the bigger issue of distracted driving and how to legislate it, Williams said, “Of course, there are a lot of distractions in a vehicle. People eat hamburgers, they read books and all that, but texting takes so much attention away from the road.”
As far as enforcing the proposed ban, he believes legislation may be tweaked to apply to wrecks that are caused by a driver who was texting.
“I don’t think the state patrol or law enforcement is going to be pulling people over and looking to see if they’ve got their cell phone out,” Williams said.
While driving into work at the state Capitol, he said he often sees people oblivious to their surroundings while typing away on their cellular devices.
“I shy away from them,” said Williams, who has spent about 20 years off and on as a representative. “Especially at traffic signals. They’ll be texting on that thing and traffic gets backed up. Or they’ll swerve out of their lane and almost run into you. You’ve got to be very careful.”
The problem of texting while driving is worsening as adults become more technologically-savvy and as teenagers ignore the possible pitfalls, said Dave Colmans, director of the Atlanta-based Georgia Insurance Information Service (www.giis.org). The organization supports legislation to discourage texting while driving.
“What we’re trying to get people to realize (is that) when you do have to look away from the road to see what you’re texting and to read what has been sent to you, it’s just a formula for disaster,” Colmans said.
Source
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Texting While Driving Bills In Georgia Legislature
ATLANTA - "He loved life," says Caleb Sorohan's grandmother, "He had a very infectious smile, lots of friends and it was just a tragic loss for all of us."
Sallie Sorohan of Dahlonega has turned grief over the death of her 18-year-old grandson into a crusade to save others.
Nine days before Christmas, the college freshman's car crossed the centerline of a rural Morgan County road while he was texting.
"He apparently was busy with his hands not on the wheel and ran into a truck that was transporting six or seven horses and was killed instantly," his grandmother tells 11 Alive News.
Georgia State Troopers found Caleb's cell phone in his lap, showing that he'd sent or received six text messages in the last seven minutes of his life.
"His grandmother asked me to introduce this particular bill," says State Representative Amos Amerson.
The Dahlonega lawmaker has now been joined by fellow Republican Representative Allen Peake of Macon who believe it's become a dangerous crisis on our roads.
"It's an extreme hazard," Rep. Peake tells 11 Alive News, "and empirical studies have shown that while you're texting while driving it's more dangerous and you're more distracted than even while you're drunk."
The lawmakers' bills propose fines of anywhere from $100 to $300, primarily to get everyone's attention.
They know it'll be tough to enforce, but Caleb's grandmother thinks it's worth doing.
"We don't want any other parents or friends or family to have to go through the agony that we have been through with this untimely death of such a wonderful young man," she adds.
Just this week, a study by the National Safety Council estimated that 28% of traffic accidents occur while drivers are talking on cell phones or texting.
If the bills about to be introduced in this year's General Assembly pass, Georgia would become the 20th state to outlaw driving while texting.
In addition to pushing for the law, Caleb Sorohan's family has set up a scholarship fund for students at Morgan County High School.
Source
Sallie Sorohan of Dahlonega has turned grief over the death of her 18-year-old grandson into a crusade to save others.
Nine days before Christmas, the college freshman's car crossed the centerline of a rural Morgan County road while he was texting.
"He apparently was busy with his hands not on the wheel and ran into a truck that was transporting six or seven horses and was killed instantly," his grandmother tells 11 Alive News.
Georgia State Troopers found Caleb's cell phone in his lap, showing that he'd sent or received six text messages in the last seven minutes of his life.
"His grandmother asked me to introduce this particular bill," says State Representative Amos Amerson.
The Dahlonega lawmaker has now been joined by fellow Republican Representative Allen Peake of Macon who believe it's become a dangerous crisis on our roads.
"It's an extreme hazard," Rep. Peake tells 11 Alive News, "and empirical studies have shown that while you're texting while driving it's more dangerous and you're more distracted than even while you're drunk."
The lawmakers' bills propose fines of anywhere from $100 to $300, primarily to get everyone's attention.
They know it'll be tough to enforce, but Caleb's grandmother thinks it's worth doing.
"We don't want any other parents or friends or family to have to go through the agony that we have been through with this untimely death of such a wonderful young man," she adds.
Just this week, a study by the National Safety Council estimated that 28% of traffic accidents occur while drivers are talking on cell phones or texting.
If the bills about to be introduced in this year's General Assembly pass, Georgia would become the 20th state to outlaw driving while texting.
In addition to pushing for the law, Caleb Sorohan's family has set up a scholarship fund for students at Morgan County High School.
Source
Monday, March 15, 2010
Georgia woman, 25, killed in Oconee County 1-car crash
A 25-year-old Georgia woman died after being involved in a one-vehicle accident early Monday morning.
Oconee County Coroner Karl Addis confirmed Monday that Nicole Kristy Hartney was pronounced dead at the scene of an early morning accident on U.S. 76.
Hartney was traveling east on 76 in her 2000 Jeep Cherokee at roughly 2:30 a.m. when she lost control of the vehicle. The jeep went off the right side of the road, back onto the roadway, and overturned several times off the left side of the highway before coming to a stop there, Cpl. Bryan McDougald of the South Carolina Highway Patrol said.
The posted speed limit on that stretch of highway is 45 miles per hour, but the role of speed in the crash is being investigated, McDougald added.
Hartney, who was not wearing a seat belt, was ejected from the vehicle during the rollover, and died at the scene from chest and head trauma prior to EMS arrival, Addis said.
A passerby saw the accident and reported it.
Hartney’s hometown was Alpharetta, Ga., and she graduated from the University of Alabama in 2006 with a degree in communications, according to an online social networking Web site.
No autopsy is scheduled for Hartney, but in accordance with state law, specimens for toxicology analysis will be sent to the South Carolina Law Enforcement, Addis said.
Source
Oconee County Coroner Karl Addis confirmed Monday that Nicole Kristy Hartney was pronounced dead at the scene of an early morning accident on U.S. 76.
Hartney was traveling east on 76 in her 2000 Jeep Cherokee at roughly 2:30 a.m. when she lost control of the vehicle. The jeep went off the right side of the road, back onto the roadway, and overturned several times off the left side of the highway before coming to a stop there, Cpl. Bryan McDougald of the South Carolina Highway Patrol said.
The posted speed limit on that stretch of highway is 45 miles per hour, but the role of speed in the crash is being investigated, McDougald added.
Hartney, who was not wearing a seat belt, was ejected from the vehicle during the rollover, and died at the scene from chest and head trauma prior to EMS arrival, Addis said.
A passerby saw the accident and reported it.
Hartney’s hometown was Alpharetta, Ga., and she graduated from the University of Alabama in 2006 with a degree in communications, according to an online social networking Web site.
No autopsy is scheduled for Hartney, but in accordance with state law, specimens for toxicology analysis will be sent to the South Carolina Law Enforcement, Addis said.
Source
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Bills make texting while driving illegal in Georgia
State Representative Allen Peake, a Republican from Bibb County, wants two points added to your license if you're found guilty of writing, sending or reading a text while driving. Peake admits someone saw him text while driving. That person tracked him down and chastised him. Peake says he felt so guilty that he drafted legislation.
PEAKE: "I can remember having the though of while I've just gone 3 or 4 miles while I sent that text message, I had no idea what was going on around me. I had no idea."
Under Peake's bill, fines would range from 50 to 100 dollars. That's not good enough for Amos Amerson. The Republican from Dahlonega says the maximum fine under his texting while driving bill is 300 dollars. Amerson was inspired by his old teaching friend. That person's grandson died in a serious car accident while driving to Athens this past Christmas holiday.
AMERSON: "He had made six texting messages from the time he left North Georgia to the time he got to Athens. And they concluded he was in the process of texting at the time of his death."
Amerson and Peake say the differences in their bills will be ironed out in committee. That's also where other issues could arise according to law enforcement
officials.
They say the legislature will have to determine how the law will be enforced. Officials wonder if lawmakers would place "texting while driving" under the primary or secondary enforcement category.
If made primary, an officer could pull you over if he or she saw you texting while driving. If made secondary, an officer could pull you over for a traffic violation, for example. If that officer finds evidence that you were also texting while driving, the officer could also write you a ticket for that offense.
Law enforcement official hope texting while driving will fall under primary enforcement in Georgia.
If it doesn't, some officers and lawmakers hope a law would at least scare drivers from texting behind the wheel.
PEAKE: "What I'm hoping is that this will be a deterrent to all of Georgia's citizens to put that cell phone. Don't text. Let's make sure we're safe while we're driving."
PEAKE: "I can remember having the though of while I've just gone 3 or 4 miles while I sent that text message, I had no idea what was going on around me. I had no idea."
Under Peake's bill, fines would range from 50 to 100 dollars. That's not good enough for Amos Amerson. The Republican from Dahlonega says the maximum fine under his texting while driving bill is 300 dollars. Amerson was inspired by his old teaching friend. That person's grandson died in a serious car accident while driving to Athens this past Christmas holiday.
AMERSON: "He had made six texting messages from the time he left North Georgia to the time he got to Athens. And they concluded he was in the process of texting at the time of his death."
Amerson and Peake say the differences in their bills will be ironed out in committee. That's also where other issues could arise according to law enforcement
officials.
They say the legislature will have to determine how the law will be enforced. Officials wonder if lawmakers would place "texting while driving" under the primary or secondary enforcement category.
If made primary, an officer could pull you over if he or she saw you texting while driving. If made secondary, an officer could pull you over for a traffic violation, for example. If that officer finds evidence that you were also texting while driving, the officer could also write you a ticket for that offense.
Law enforcement official hope texting while driving will fall under primary enforcement in Georgia.
If it doesn't, some officers and lawmakers hope a law would at least scare drivers from texting behind the wheel.
PEAKE: "What I'm hoping is that this will be a deterrent to all of Georgia's citizens to put that cell phone. Don't text. Let's make sure we're safe while we're driving."
Monday, February 15, 2010
Legislators to consider outlawing texting while driving
Members of the Georgia Legislature may consider making it illegal for people to send or read text messages on a cell phone while they are driving.
State Rep. Amos Anderson (R-Dahlonega) has filed a bill that would strengthen Georgia’s laws, which require drivers not to engage in any actions that would distract them from driving.
It would specifically address “talking, sending, reading or listening on a wireless telecommunications device” while driving, according to the text of House Bill 945.
According to The Dahlonega Nugget, Amerson’s bill is inspired by the grandmother of a teenager who died in a car accident believed to have been caused because he was using his cell phone.
Caleb Sorohan, an 18-year-old college student from Rutledge, Ga., was home for the Christmas holidays when his 2004 Saturn crossed the center line of a road and collided with a 2008 Toyota Sequoia, apparently without ever hitting the brakes. His cell phone was found in his lap.
Caleb had sent and received a total of six messages in the seven minutes leading up to the collision, the Dahlonega newspaper quoted a state trooper as saying.
If the bill were made a law, it would not apply to the usage of people making a call related to certain emergency situations or the usage of a cell phone by police and firefighters as part of their official duties.
The bill was just introduced on Jan. 14 and must go through several reviews and votes before it could go to a vote by the full House.
State Rep. Allen Peake (R-Macon) has filed a similar bill, HB 938.
A bill that would have banned text messaging while driving was passed by the House last year but rejected by the Georgia Senate. Currently, 18 states plus the District of Columbia already have laws banning texting while driving.
Source
State Rep. Amos Anderson (R-Dahlonega) has filed a bill that would strengthen Georgia’s laws, which require drivers not to engage in any actions that would distract them from driving.
It would specifically address “talking, sending, reading or listening on a wireless telecommunications device” while driving, according to the text of House Bill 945.
According to The Dahlonega Nugget, Amerson’s bill is inspired by the grandmother of a teenager who died in a car accident believed to have been caused because he was using his cell phone.
Caleb Sorohan, an 18-year-old college student from Rutledge, Ga., was home for the Christmas holidays when his 2004 Saturn crossed the center line of a road and collided with a 2008 Toyota Sequoia, apparently without ever hitting the brakes. His cell phone was found in his lap.
Caleb had sent and received a total of six messages in the seven minutes leading up to the collision, the Dahlonega newspaper quoted a state trooper as saying.
If the bill were made a law, it would not apply to the usage of people making a call related to certain emergency situations or the usage of a cell phone by police and firefighters as part of their official duties.
The bill was just introduced on Jan. 14 and must go through several reviews and votes before it could go to a vote by the full House.
State Rep. Allen Peake (R-Macon) has filed a similar bill, HB 938.
A bill that would have banned text messaging while driving was passed by the House last year but rejected by the Georgia Senate. Currently, 18 states plus the District of Columbia already have laws banning texting while driving.
Source
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