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Crackdown on texting to begin in August
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Georgia State Patrol troopers will wait until Aug. 1 to crack down on texting drivers as they focus their efforts on educating the public and determining how to enforce the new ban that started Thursday.
State Patrol Commanding Officer Maj. Mark McDonough said the department’s efforts are going to be “very compassionate” over the next few weeks while troopers and drivers get used to laws that bar adults from texting while driving, ban texting and talking for drivers under 18 and require pickup truck drivers and passengers to wear seat belts.
During a question and answer session on Tuesday, McDonough acknowledged that enforcing the texting ban could be a challenge.
He said, for example, that while the law clearly says teens are not allowed to text or call while driving, determining who is a teenager might not be so easy.
“That would be very difficult for a trooper to just effect a stop based upon a person’s age,” McDonough said.
Troopers will not receive specific new training, he added, but will have to be vigilant before making traffic stops for a texting or talking driver who may be distracted and not staying in the proper lane or following too closely.
“If he’s wrong, he’s going to have to let that person go,” McDonough said. “The number one thing we have to have in our job is the ability to observe. Is it impossible? No, but it’s going to require the trooper to do some observation in order to develop the reason why he pulls them over.”
McDonough says the situation will be more clear-cut for drivers involved in accidents resulting from texting or from pickup truck drivers not wearing seat belts.
Drivers found guilty of violating the laws on texting or talking while driving face a $150 fine and a point added to their driver’s license.
The new laws took effect Thursday, which marked the beginning of the Fourth of July holiday, a busy travel weekend when traffic enforcement is an increased priority.
McDonough said he thinks the laws are good ones, and that the grace period will be effective. He also said he thinks the state’s decision to end the ban on seat belts for pickups could save the lives of 100 people a year who would otherwise die on Georgia roadways.
Georgia was the last state to end the pickup exemption for seat belts. McDonough said about 20 percent of fatal vehicle accidents occur in pickup trucks statewide each year, and that in those circumstances, 75 percent of the time people are not wearing seat belts.
Two dozen other states have passed bans on texting while driving.
In Georgia, the adult law is named for Caleb Sorohan, a Morgan County college freshman who was killed in a head-on collision last year because he was texting while driving. The family of the 18-year-old has pushed state lawmakers to pass the texting ban since his death in December.
The Illinois-based National Safety Council estimates that 28 percent of crashes — or 1.6 million annually — are caused by drivers talking or texting on cell phones.
The push to address such dangerous driving practices has garnered the attention of celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey and organizations like the United Nations. Both launched campaigns to discourage drivers from using cell phones while behind the wheel.
Amy Stracke, a spokeswoman with AAA Auto Club South based in Tampa, Fla., said the law will mainly work as a deterrent.
“Most people are law-abiding citizens, so if there is a law on the books, most people are going to abide by that law,” Stracke said. She added that the law is enforceable and that educating drivers will be key. “There’s not a lot of history on it, but these laws have been shown to reduce the amount of texting that’s done behind the wheel.”
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Georgia Motorcycle Safety Program announces grant
Funds earmarked for Share the Road initiatives
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Grant funding totaling $93,458 has been awarded to the Georgia Motorcycle Safety Program (GMSP) by the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety. The approved funding will be used to increase motorcycle safety awareness and outreach by encouraging all motorists and motorcyclists to Share the Road.

“The need for motorcycle safety programs is greater than ever, and this support from GOHS enables motorcycle safety programs and impaired riding initiatives to reach riders and non-riders alike” said Commissioner Spencer R. Moore. “Thank you GOHS for helping (the Department of Driver Services) and GMSP educate and encourage all Georgia drivers to ‘Share the Road.’”

The grant allows DDS to further develop the Motorcycle Safety Outreach Program by continuing to fund a position to promote state and national safety initiatives. The GMSP outreach coordinator researches, coordinates and helps maintain an adequate presence at industry events, local schools and colleges, regional meetings and festivals to increase awareness of motorcycles on the roadways and provide the most current information on motorcycle safety initiatives.

Visitors to a GMSP event display are also encouraged to sign up for regular newsletters which provide additional safety information, as well as review the motorcycle safety message on other social media platforms.

GMSP regulates motorcycle training for new riders, as well as seasoned riders, who want to learn how to ride a motorcycle legally and safely. The program is based on a continuum of learning and therefore offers three entry points to rider education.

Students participating in the Basic Riders Course do not need specialized motorcycle equipment, as the GMSP provides both a motorcycle and a helmet to class participants. Upon successful completion of the course, participants receive a 90-day license waiver card that exempts them from both the written and on-cycle skills tests needed to obtain a Class M license in the state of Georgia.

Please visit the DDS website at www.dds.georgia.gov for many online services including the convenience of enrolling in a GMSP training class and accessing many licensing services.

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