ATLANTA – State Representative John Carson (R-Marietta) today announced that traffic fatalities in Georgia have decreased since passage of the Hands-Free law, and he will pursue legislation during the 2020 legislative session to further reduce distracted driving in our state.
After the Hands-Free Georgia Act was enacted on July 1, 2018, Georgia began to experience a significant reduction in year-over-year traffic fatalities for the first time in more than 10 years. These decreases were achieved despite increasing population, economic activity and a growing number of fatalities from the rise of electric scooters. In 2018, traffic fatalities decreased by 2.25 percent, and preliminary reports show that traffic fatalities have decreased by an additional four percent in 2019. Furthermore, fatalities from the following categories have decreased from 2018 to 2019: pedestrian, nine percent; bicycles, 30 percent; and drivers/passengers ages 15 to 24, 10 percent.
“We have made tremendous strides in our state to curb the number of traffic accidents and fatalities that are a result of distracted driving,” said Rep. Carson. “While statistics prove that hands-free driving has significantly improved driver safety, House Bill 113 would further our efforts to help save countless lives, bringing us one step closer to ending distracted driving in Georgia.”
During the 2020 legislative session, Rep. Carson will continue his work on House Bill 113, which was introduced during the 2019 session and would change current penalties for distracted driving. HB 113 would impose higher fines for distracted driving offenses. The fines for a first time distracted driving offense would range from $50 to $100, fines for a second offense would range from $100 to $200, and fines for a third offense would range from $150 to $300. Additionally, HB 113 would increase fines for distracted driving offenses committed within school or construction zones, and it would remove the state’s first-time offense waiver.
“We have made significant progress over the past two years, not just in legislation, but also in changing the culture in our state to reduce distracted driving,” said Rep. Carson. “However, we all still see distracted drivers on our roads. I look forward to continuing to make this behavior unacceptable and to making our roads even safer.”
For more information on HB 113, please click here.
Representative John Carson represents the citizens of District 46, which includes portions of Cherokee and Cobb counties. He was elected to the House of Representatives in 2011 and currently serves as Vice Chairman of the Transportation, Energy, Utilities & Telecommunications and Ways & Means committees and Secretary of the Insurance Committee. He also serves on the Intragovernmental Coordination, MARTOC and Rules committees. He also serves as an Ex-Officio member on the Appropriations committee.
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