 District 72 Rep. Matt Ramsey of Peachtree City was a sponsor of the teen texting bill in the state House. Two new laws took effect Thursday that regulate the use of cell phones by Georgia drivers.
Senate Bill 360 bans texting while driving for drivers of all ages, while House Bill 23 bans all cell phone usage, both talking and texting, by teen drivers.
Both of these new laws carry fines of $150 and one point added to the offender's driving record.
District 72 Rep. Matt Ramsey, R-Peachtree City, was one of the sponsors of the House bill, which deals with teen cell phone use. "It took two years of work," he said Thursday. "We thought the governor was not going to sign it, but at the last minute, he asked us a lot of questions and went ahead and made it law."
Ramsey, along with numerous other local officials, was present at Peachtree City City Hall Thursday for a press conference where AT&T rolled out its new public awareness campaign "Txtng & Driving--It Can Wait." AT&T will be running television and radio spots pointing out the dangers of cell phone use while driving, and is asking teens and adults to "take the pledge" to put down their phones while driving.
"I thought the cell phone companies would fight this bill," Ramsey said, "but instead, AT&T became a partner."
AT&T's Pete Meadows, a former chairman of the Fayette County Chamber of Commerce, thanked Ramsey for his work, and said AT&T wants its consumers to use its products safely. He showed a few of the public service announcements, which carry the message that "no text message is worth risking a life."
Meadows pointed out that the new law gives teens an opportunity to learn to drive without distractions. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, teen drivers in their first year on the road are 10 times more likely to be involved in accidents than more experiences drivers. Any driver on a cell phone is four times more likely to be in a serious crash, even if the driver is using a hands-free cell phone. Ramsey said drivers who texted while driving were 23 times more likely to be in an accident.
Peachtree City Mayor Don Haddix was also at the press conference and related a story about seeing a vehicle on the road ahead of him begin drifting. Finally, the mayor said, it went completely off the road and hit a tree. The driver, unhurt, had been texting, Haddix said.
Several teens were in the audience and signed pledges not to text and drive. Alison Dawson, 14, can't drive yet, but said she is well aware of the dangers of texting and driving.
Pledge cards for adults were also available. Fayette County Commission Chairman Jack Smith said he is never tempted to text and drive. "I learned a long time ago that it is dangerous to do anything while you're driving."
Information on the laws and the pledge cards is available on AT&T's Facebook page.
|
