From the ajc.com, and other stations airing this news here in my hometown today:
Drivers who cause a wreck while talknig on a cellphone will face a fine of up to $500 under a law that took effect Tuesday in DeKalb County (Just east of Atlanta).
The law, likely the first of its kind in Georgia, sanctions drivers whose "improper" usage of a mobile phone was a "contributing factor" in a collision causing death, injury or damage.
He said he also talked to a county traffic court judge who told him cellphones were a factor in as many as 700 collisions in a year.
"It's becoming more and more of a problem," a county official has said. The law does not target drivers who use headsets or hands-free devices.
The County went the route of imposing a fine as opposed to an outright ban because it would be inappropriate to expect drivers to watch for the county line sign while carrying on a conversation. He said if there were to be a ban, it should be statewide. A state ban has been proposed in the Georgia Legislature but has never passed.
To me the most compelling statement - by a politician no less was this: He said he also talked to a county traffic court judge who told him cellphones were a factor in as many as 700 collisions in a year.
"It's becoming more and more of a problem," Jones said. He said the law does not target drivers who use headsets or hands-free devices.
A county rep accurately stated that there should not be a backlash, "because everybody has a cellphone, and they know one time or another they could have caused an accident."
