NU Online News Service, June 8, 12:30 p.m. EDT
Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue signed two bills that ban texting while driving in the state.
"I hope that we will all commit to driving safely, free of distraction," Gov. Perdue said in a statement Friday after signing the bills, HB 23 and SB 360.
HB 23 prohibits texting and the use of cell phones for drivers under 18 years of age, and SB 360 establishes a one-point violation for all drivers who text while driving.
Insurance associations offered praise for the bills' passage.
"These laws are a positive step forward in the effort to make our roadways safer," said Micaela Isler, southeast regional manager for the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America (PCI) in a statement.
Willem Rijksen, vice president, public affairs for the American Insurance Association, said, "Drivers need to focus their attention on the road rather than their cell phones or texting devices. Adoption of this legislation will lead to safer roadways in Georgia provided that drivers comply with the new law. Georgia is now among the majority of states that have banned text messaging while operating a motor vehicle."
PCI said Georgia now joins 27 other states that have passed texting bans.
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