Program, bill trying to prevent fatal wrecks

There have also been 388 wreck related fatalities in Georgia this year, following a year where 1,549 traffic deaths were recorded, according to GDOT.

The GDOT reports 388 wreck-related fatalities in Georgia so far this year.

With several fatal wrecks locally and almost 400 across the state so far this year, an annual teen-driving program and a handsfree driving bill are aiming to prevent the causes leading to these incidents.

So far this year there have been at least five fatal wrecks in Floyd County — one of which involved a pedestrian being hit by a truck — and a number of more in surrounding counties.

The latest death came Wednesday, almost a week after the Floyd County man flipped his race car on Short Horn Road. The morning before, a Rome woman died after her vehicle was struck by a truck crossing the median and into her lane on U.S. 411 in Bartow County.

Across the state, there have been 388 wreck-related fatalities in 2018, according to the Georgia Department of Transportation. There were 1,549 deaths on Georgia’s roads last year, a drop of 12 from the number of deaths in 2016, according to GDOT.

Speed, distracted driving and driving under the influence were cited as the causes in 70 percent of the 2017 fatalities, GDOT reported. In 56 percent of the 2017 deaths, victims were not wearing seat belts, according to GDOT.

This summer, Fear This Inc. will return to Richard B. Russell Regional Airport to provide training for teen drivers, who will undergo teaching given to law enforcement officers on accident avoidance techniques. The Teen Vehicle Operations Course will be held June 9-10 at the airport at 304 Russell Field Road.

“The course is designed to teach teen drivers the critical skills necessary to not panic in a roadway crisis and to arrive home alive,” according to a news release from the Rome Police Department, which participates in the training.

Including in the driving skills taught to teens are “skid steering, precision driving and on-road/offroad recovery,” the news release stated.

“Additionally, students will be exposed to various stressors to simulate physiological changes that occur in emergency situations,” the news release stated.

For those wishing to register their teen driver visit www.tvoc.ws or call Fear This Inc. founder Woodrow Gaines at 770-823-7823.

As early as July — if Gov. Nathan Deal signs the legislation into law — a hands-free driving bill passed by the General Assembly this session could take effect, an attempt to cut down on distracted driving, officials say. Georgia would become the 16th state to pass such a bill, which prohibits driving from holding devices such as cellphones, iPods or Kindles while driving.

Phones calls can still be made while driving as long as it is done handsfree, through Bluetooth or by setting the phone to speakerphone. Headphones and earpieces are also allowed for making calls under the bill. Drivers can accept or end calls as well as dial a number as long as they are not holding the phone. The use of hands-free GPS and voiceto-text apps are allowed.

Texting, emailing, surfing the internet, and watching and recording videos while driving are prohibited.