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."

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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.


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