A group of Georgia teenagers tasked by the governor to evaluate existing state laws banning the use of texting devices by teen drivers, have returned a verdict: They think harsher penalties are the best way to convince teens not to text and drive.
Nearly two dozen members of the Georgia Governor’s Commission on Teen Driving returned their recommendations to a group of lawmakers and public safety advocates recently. They also recommend a statewide ban on the use smartphones and other handheld devices by all drivers, and more focus on educating young drivers about the dangers of texting while driving and distracted driving in general.
The 22 teen members of the Georgia Governor’s Commission on Teen Driving also plotted a statewide strategy for educating teen drivers about the dangers of distracted driving. Spurred by evidence provide by the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, both of which show that vehicle collisions remain the leading cause of death for teens, the commission focus nearly exclusively on the leading cause of teen vehicle collisions: distracted driving.
It makes sense, especially when you consider no self-respecting teen will be spotted without their hand tightly clutching a smartphone or some sort of handheld device. Teens account for more than two-thirds of all text messages sent each month, which means they are more likely to be sending a written message as opposed to simply making a phone call (not that talking on the phone while driving is legal for teens in Georgia-it’s not.)
The members of the Georgia Governor’s Commission on Teen Driving will reconvene in the autumn when they expected to revisit their recommendations and perhaps present new recommendations intended to keep themselves and their classmates safe and sound.
The post Georgia Teens Ask For Stiffer Driving Penalties appeared first on MyImprov.