Put the phone down; you’re going to kill somebody

By Medicine Hat News Opinon on January 21, 2019.

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Put the phone down.

You are going to kill somebody.

The person you kill may be you.

Texting and driving kills.

You have been warned about it.

Laws have been passed to prevent it.

You have heard about all the serious injuries and deaths caused by it.

But you still text and drive.

What is it going to take to get you to stop?

Georgia’s “hands free” law took effect July 1 last year.

It doesn’t appear to have even made a dent in the number of people texting and driving.

And people are dying on our roadways at an alarming rate.

The law prohibits drivers from having a phone or stand-alone electronic device in their hands or touching any part of their body while operating a motor vehicle on Georgia roadways.

A Bluetooth speakerphone, earpiece, electronic watch or wireless headset is allowed so long as it is not being operated by the driver’s hand. The use of GPS and navigational devices are allowed but drivers cannot have a phone in their hand or supported by any part of their body.

The law is designed to prevent cellphones from interfering with a driver’s ability to operate a vehicle and keep attention on the road.

Distracted driving is a danger to everyone on the roadways.

The law allows drivers to use “hands-free” technology to make or receive phone calls and use GPS devices, but drivers cannot at any time use their phones to write, read or send text messages, emails, social media and internet data. The use of voice-to-text technology is allowed, officials explained.

The hands-free law also prohibits drivers from watching videos as well as recording videos, though GPS navigational videos and continuously running dash cams are permitted.

Drivers can listen to music through streaming apps on their phone, but they cannot activate their apps or change music through their phone while driving. Music streaming apps programmed and controlled through the vehicle’s radio system are allowed.

Music streaming apps that also have video are not allowed since the law specifically prohibits drivers from watching videos.

For anyone still confused about what they are allowed to do when driving, you cannot have a phone in your hands or on any part of your body if you want to make or receive a phone call or use GPS.

You cannot legally text, email or surf the internet on your phone at all when you are driving.