Drivers failing to maintain their lane were responsible for 55% of fatalities on Georgia roads in 2018 and experts believe distracted driving is the culprit.
Police officers in Marietta, Georgia recently used disguises to catch drivers violating the state's hands-free driving law.
The six states with the most active pest control fleets make up more than 50% of the total activity in this commercial fleet segment, according to new data from Verizon Connect.
While 77% of Georgia respondents to a new survey know about a recent hands-free law while driving, more than 60% say they still see drivers texting or emailing behind the wheel.
In approximately the last six months, the Georgia Hands-Free Act has resulted in 8,389 citations — more than double the 3,827 tickets issued for cell-phone related violations in the first six months of 2018.
Georgia law officers wrote 961 tickets in July for motorists who violated the state's new hands-free law, which went into effect on July 1, which was a more than 30% increase from the year before.
After a distracted driving law banning hand-held cell-phone use went into effect in Georgia on July 1, law enforcement officers wrote 1,000 citations in just four days.
Georgia's Gov. Nathan Deal of Georgia has signed a hands-free bill into law, rendering the most significant change in the state's driving rules since texting while driving was banned in 2010.
Warm-weather states such as Florida, California, and Arizona are providing the most activity for Verizon Connect's pest control fleets, according to an infographic from the telematics provider.
Georgia lawmakers passed the Hands-Free Georgia Act on March 29, the final day of the 2018 General Assembly. The distracted driving legislation prevents motorists from holding cellphones while behind the wheel.