It’s been 18 months since Georgia first enacted the Hands-Free Act. And recently, the main sponsor of that bill– State Representative John Carson (R-Marietta) — said it’s working and he plans to push legislation again this year that will “further reduce distracted driving in our state.”
According to Carson, Georgia has begun to see a significant decrease in year-over-year traffic fatalities for the first time in more than 10 years. These decreased, he said, were achieved despite increasing population, economic activity and a growing number of fatalities from the rise of electric scooters. Carson credits the decrease to the enactment of the Hands-Free Georgia Act on July 1, 2018, and says that’s why he’s pushing House Bill 113 again this year.
“We have made tremendous strides in our state to curb the number of traffic accidents and fatalities that are a result of distracted driving,” said Rep. Carson. “While statistics prove that hands-free driving has significantly improved driver safety, House Bill 113 would further our efforts to help save countless lives, bringing us one step closer to ending distracted driving in Georgia.”
Carson introduced HB 113 during the 2019 session. As written, it would change current penalties for distracted driving – imposing higher fines for distracted driving offenses. The fines for a first time distracted driving offense would range from $50 to $100, fines for a second offense would range from $100 to $200, and fines for a third offense would range from $150 to $300. Additionally, HB 113 would increase fines for distracted driving offenses committed within school or construction zones, and it would remove the state’s first-time offense waiver.
In 2018, traffic fatalities decreased by 2.25 percent, and preliminary reports show that traffic fatalities have decreased by an additional four percent in 2019, Carson said. Furthermore, fatalities from the following categories have decreased from 2018 to 2019: pedestrian, nine percent; bicycles, 30 percent; and drivers/passengers ages 15 to 24, 10 percent.
“We have made significant progress over the past two years, not just in legislation, but also in changing the culture in our state to reduce distracted driving,” said Rep. Carson. “However, we all still see distracted drivers on our roads. I look forward to continuing to make this behavior unacceptable and to making our roads even safer.”
Other sponsors on HB 113 are: Rep. Dave Belton (R-Buckhead), Rep. Eddie Lumsden (R-Armuchee) and Rep. Richard Smith (R-Columbus).
