As of Wednesday, August 1, 2018 Georgia's distracted driving law has been in effect for a month, and for the most part, North Georgia drivers seem to understand they need to keep their hands away from their cell phones when they're behind the wheel.
Sgt. Auston Allen is with Post 6 of the Georgia State Patrol in Gainesville, and he said he has been pleasantly surprised at what he's witnessed on the roads of Banks, Hall and White counties.
"I did expect there to be many, more violations than what I've observed," Allen said. "Granted, people are still on the phone and probably always will be, but it doesn't seem as if it is as prevalent as it once was. Folks are not driving down the road with one hand on the phone and the other up to their ear."
Allen said some drivers are having trouble remembering to leave the phone alone, mainly because they're having to undo years of habitual talking while in the car.
"We're all creatures of habit...and you know, if a phone rings while we're going down the road, that's human nature to revert to habit and answer the phone," Allen said.
To that end, Allen said troopers who have caught drivers with the phone in their hand have tried to exercise some grace.
"Since July 1 up until right now, we've issued 28 citations for distracted driving as compared to 58 warnings for distracted driving, so the warnings far outweigh the citations," Allen said.
He noted that some of those citations and warnings might not have been issued specifically for cell phone violations.
Allen said he anticipates troopers will continue to use discretion when coming across drivers who violate House Bill 673, but that doesn't mean they aren't taking the new law seriously.
"You are very likely if you are on the phone...with the phone held up to your ear, you're very likely to get a citation at this point," Allen said.
Allen said he's hoping as time goes on, drivers will make it a habit to keep their hands off their phones, just as they've made it a habit to wear seat belts.
