Troopers stop over 100 first day of hands-free law in Ga.

ATLANTA — State troopers made over a hundred stops enforcing Georgia’s new hands-free driving law on July 1, the first day the law was in effect.

Department of Public Safety spokeswoman Tracey Watson told WSB-TV the Georgia State Patrol issued 34 citations and 98 warnings across the state.

Under the “Hands-Free Georgia Act,” drivers may not hold a phone with their hands or use any part of their body to support the device. They also may not use headphones, although they will be allowed to talk on the phone using a speaker, ear piece and handsfree Bluetooth connections.

Georgia joins 16 other states and Washington, D.C., in banning hand-held cellphone use while driving, an action prompted here, in part, by a dubious record: The state has had the highest increase in auto insurance rates since 2011.

Lawmakers were also spurred to action by a rising number of fatalities. The Georgia Department of Transportation estimates that 1,545 lives were lost due to distracted driving, according to Governor’s Office of Highway Safety spokesman Robert Hydrick.

Fines range from $50 to $150. One motorist was stopped for holding their phone while using GPS and another for texting.

State Trooper Cory Croscutt told the station he hoped the law reduces traffic fatalities at a time when crashes caused by distractions happen daily.