OT: Georgia gets it right ...

[Snuffy]

If you live in Georgia or any state bordering Georgia and you have a schedule of crossing the state line into Georgia, ya'll need to be aware that Georgia has now banned texting while driving. Not that it should have been legal to start with, but its now against the law.

The law takes effect August 1st 2010, and comes with a $150.00 fine and points issued against your license, EVEN if you're an out of state driver.

http://www.news4jax.com/news/24166297/detail.html

[Bjoern]

They couldn't get a single cent from me. I totally ignore my phone when driving, come hell or Hitler.

[JorisVandenBerghe]

They couldn't get a single cent from me. I totally ignore my phone when driving, come hell or Hitler.
Fully agree. The last thing on my mind while driving is my phone.

Snuffy's right - it shouldn't have been legal from the start, me thinks. Here in Belgium it's illegal, but I don't know anyone who has been checked (or had to pay a fine) during the last five years or so.

[Brian_Gladden]

Vermont's had an "Anti-texting" law on the books since June 1st. Also, the law forbids anyone under the age of 18 to use any portable electronic device while driving. No cellphone, I-pod etc.



Brian

[cheezyflier]

i doubt that it was "legal" in the sense that you folks mean it. it's just that it wasn't illegal because there wasn't a specific law covering that particular offense.

[Tom Clayton]

If there's no law specifically against it, and no blanket law ("Unsafe Movement," etc.) that could be interpreted to cover it, then it's legal. Of course, that doesn't make it right. NC has had the no texting law on the books for a few months now, and they said on the news that statewide, there's been (I think) a little over 300 citations handed out. The problem is that with many phones, there's no way to tell visually if a driver's texting or keying in a phone number.

I used to work with one girl that said if they ever passed that law, that she'd just hold her phone down below the window and keep texting. I called her Stupid to her face! I said that her eye's would be off the road even more and she'd be even more likely to cause an accident that way. She just shrugged it off.

[JorisVandenBerghe]

Also, the law forbids anyone under the age of 18 to use any portable electronic device while driving. No cellphone, I-pod etc.
In my opinion kind of silly to forbid it just to people under 18 - it should be that way for everyone.

[BurningBeard]

It's been illegal in California for quite a while. It is also illegal to talk on a hand held cell phone.

Beard