Georgia Distracted Driving Laws

You can’t hold or support your phone while driving in Georgia under the Hands-Free Georgia Act. You’ll face a $50 fine and 1 license point for your first offense, with penalties rising to $150 and 3 points later. Exceptions apply in emergencies, but commercial drivers follow stricter rules—what happens if officers interpret “reaching” differently?

Key Takeaways

• Georgia’s Hands‑Free Georgia Act makes it illegal to hold or support a wireless device while driving, including at traffic signals and stop signs.
• Writing, sending, or reading text‑based communications while driving is prohibited; voice‑to‑text and hands‑free calls are allowed.
• First offense carries a $50 fine and 1 license point, with higher fines and 2–3 points for repeat violations within 24 months.
• Commercial motor vehicle drivers and school bus drivers face stricter device‑use rules and additional restrictions under the law.
• Exceptions exist for reporting emergencies, emergency responders on duty, and when the vehicle is lawfully parked.

Occupant Safety Requirements

Georgia law requires you and all front seat occupants to wear seat belts (O.C.G.A. §40-8-76), which are the most effective protection—they help you maintain vehicle control and reduce crash injury risk by distributing forces across your body’s stronger parts.

You’re required to buckle up for occupant safety in every trip. Seat belts cut severe injury chances dramatically.

If you have children under 8, secure them in an approved car seat or booster matched to their size, always in the rear seat.

Follow the manufacturer’s instructions precisely for installation and use—you can’t afford errors that compromise their protection.

Stay restrained to survive crashes.

Child Safety Restraint Laws

Because children under eight face greater injury risk in crashes, you must secure them in an approved car seat or booster in the rear seat until they meet Georgia’s age and size thresholds (under eight years or under 57 inches tall) as required by O.C.G.A. §40‑8‑76.

Choose the type matching your child’s weight and height for maximum car seat safety. Follow booster seat guidelines and manufacturer’s instructions for proper installation and use.

Public transit vehicles and taxicabs are exempt. Violators face fines up to $50 and license points per child.

Definition of Distracted Driving

Distracted driving means any activity that diverts your attention from the road, such as talking or texting on your phone, eating, or engaging with passengers.

You should know the four distraction types so you can take prevention strategies seriously.

1. Visual — looking away from traffic increases crash risk and has legal consequences awareness under O.C.G.A. § 40-6-241.
2. Manual — taking hands off the wheel impairs control.
3. Auditory — distracting sounds reduce situational awareness.
4. Cognitive — mind-off driving (texting is especially dangerous: ~5 seconds eyes off road, fatal distances at 55 mph).

Types of Driver Distractions

When you look away from the road to check your phone or signs, you create visual distractions that blind you to hazards.

You cause manual distractions when you take your hands off the wheel to eat, adjust the radio, or grab an object.

These common actions heighten your crash risk under Georgia’s Hands-Free Georgia Act.

Visual Distractions

Here’s how they hit you:

• Texting steals your gaze for ~5 seconds—at 55 mph, that’s blind-driving a football field’s length.
• Glancing at notifications or billboards drifts you 11+ inches off lane.
• Fiddling with radio, passengers, or pets pulls focus instantly.
• GPS peeks multiply collision odds, demanding full attention.

Manual Distractions

Stay hands-free; lives depend on it.

Impact of Texting While Driving

When you text while driving, you take your eyes off the road for about 5 seconds, which at 55 mph means traveling the length of a football field blind.

This distraction causes a surge in accident risk, as it combines visual, manual, and cognitive impairments that drastically increase crash chances.

In 2018 alone, 202 teens aged 15-19 died in distraction-related crashes, highlighting the deadly stakes.

Eyes Off Road

1. Visual: eyes off road increases collision risk.
2. Cognitive: texting distracts your mind from driving.
3. Manual: hands off wheel for typing.
4. Legal: violations bring fines and license points.

Football Field Blind

Texting while driving steals about five seconds of your attention — at 55 mph that’s the length of a football field you cover with your eyes off the road — and that brief lapse combines visual, manual, and cognitive distraction to dramatically raise crash risk. You’re fundamentally driving blind the football field length, one of the most alarming distractions that heightens accident likelihood. In 2020, distracted driving caused 3,142 U.S. fatalities. Boost your distraction awareness: Georgia’s Hands-Free Law bans texting outright, demanding your full focus to stay safe.

Accident Risk Surge

Because sending or reading a message pulls your eyes, hands, and mind away from driving, a single five‑second text can turn you into a blind driver for the length of a football field at 55 mph, sharply raising the chance of a crash.

Texting surges accident risk factors like these:

• Diverts you visually, manually, and cognitively, spiking crash odds.
• Boosts crash likelihood 23 times with a phone in your vehicle.
• Contributed to 3,142 U.S. fatalities in 2020 per accident statistics.
• Ranks as the most alarming distraction, fueling collisions and injuries.

Don’t let a quick text cause irreversible harm—keep focus on the road.

Overview of Hands-Free Georgia Act

The Hands-Free Georgia Act, effective July 1, 2018, prohibits you from holding or supporting a phone with any part of your body while driving; you can only use hands-free options like speakerphone or earpieces.

You’re barred from writing, sending, or reading texts, emails, or social media while operating a vehicle, though voice-to-text and hands-free calls are allowed.

GPS navigation devices are permitted, but watching or recording videos while driving is prohibited except for navigation purposes.

Initial violations carry a $50 fine and one license point, with higher fines and points for repeat offenses to change driving habits and improve safety.

Prohibited Phone Activities While Driving

Following the hands‑free rules means you can’t hold, touch, or support a phone with any part of your body while driving, and you’re prohibited from writing, sending, or reading texts, emails, or social‑media messages behind the wheel (O.C.G.A. §40‑6‑241).

Limit phone interaction to hands-free Bluetooth or earpieces—you can’t engage the device while moving.

Here’s what you can’t do:

1. Watch or record videos, except GPS navigation.
2. Reach for or touch your phone, risking your safe position.
3. Dial beyond one button without hands-free setup.
4. Support the device with your body for any reason.

Violations add points and fines: $50 first offense, up to $150 later.

Music and Device Control Rules

Georgia drivers can’t touch phones to activate or control music apps while operating a vehicle, as this violates the Hands-Free Georgia Act.

You may listen to music if the app shows no video and you programmed it while parked, per music app regulations.

To prevent driver distraction prevention, control must occur through your vehicle’s radio or a hands-free interface rather than touching the phone.

Any activation requiring phone contact must happen before you drive to avoid fines and license points.

Touching a device to change songs while driving is a violation and can be penalized.

Penalties for First-Time Violations

If you receive your first conviction for violating Georgia’s distracted driving law, you’ll face a $50 fine and 1 point on your driver’s license.

You can avoid these penalties by obtaining hands-free technology before your court date and presenting proof to the judge.

This initial penalty aims to encourage compliance while escalating for repeat offenses within 24 months.

Fine Amount

1. You’ll pay up to $100 and get 2 points for a second offense within 24 months.
2. A third or more convictions hit you with up to $150 and 3 points.
3. Accumulate points across offenses, and you risk license suspension.
4. As a first-timer, get hands-free tech to potentially drop the charge.

Stay compliant to avoid rising costs and points.

License Points

You’ll face two points on a second conviction (within 24 months), escalating to three points for a third or subsequent offense.

This license point accumulation impacts rates and risks suspension at 15 points in 24 months.

Investigate point reduction strategies like defensive driving courses to mitigate effects and protect your record.

Penalties for Repeat Offenses

1. First offense: Pay up to $50 and get 1 point—you can drop the charge with approved hands-free tech.
2. Second offense: You’re hit with up to $100 and 2 points; no dismissal option.
3. Third or more: Expect up to $150 and 3 points, risking insurance hikes or suspension.
4. Stay hands-free to avoid escalation—points accumulate fast, so prioritize safety.

Exceptions for Emergency Use

While Georgia’s Hands-Free Act prohibits handheld device use, you can use yours penalty-free to report traffic accidents, medical emergencies, fires, crimes, or hazardous road conditions. You’re also exempt during emergency response for utility service jobs, where you hold devices while addressing crises. As a first responder—like law enforcement, firefighters, or EMS—you use devices freely in official duties. These legal exemptions apply only if you maintain safety and seat belt use. Additionally, you’re compliant when legally parked, excluding stops at signals or signs.

Special Rules for Commercial Drivers

Commercial drivers in Georgia face stricter rules under the Hands-Free Act.

You must follow improved commercial driver responsibilities and safety compliance measures:

1. You can’t hold a phone; you may only press a single button to start or end a call while driving a CMV.
2. You must remain seated and properly belted — don’t reach for devices in ways that break your seated position or restraint.
3. School bus drivers may not use devices while loading/unloading and can only use radios or emergency communications when moving.
4. Violations lead to fines, license points, and possible CDL disqualification; employers also face penalties.

Enforcement and Citation Process

Officers issue citations under Georgia’s Hands-Free Law when they observe you holding or supporting a wireless device, reaching for it beyond a seated position, or using it in any prohibited manner, even at a stoplight.

They base enforcement on clear visual standards, with no grace period required before ticketing distracted driving.

You’ll face a $50 fine and one license point for a first offense, escalating to $100 and two points for a second, or $150 and three points thereafter.

Citation Issuance Criteria

Law enforcement issues citations for distracted driving violations under the Hands-Free Georgia Act immediately upon the law’s effective date, with no grace period required.

You can be cited at the scene of a crash or during a traffic stop; officers exercise citation issuance authority without delay to enforce safety.

Initial warnings may occur for first-time offenders, but repeat violations prompt fines and points.

Penalties escalate: first conviction $50/1 point, second $100/2 points, third+ $150/3 points.

You should expect enforcement during crashes and routine stops, and immediate legal consequences for subsequent offenses.

1. Citation issuance: immediate
2. Law enforcement: can cite during crashes
3. First offense: warning possible; $50/1 point
4. Repeat offenses: $100/$150 and 2–3 points

Officer Observation Standards

Georgia officers spot distracted driving by watching for phone handling, texting, or other attention-diverting actions like eating or fiddling with devices.

Through officer training, they master observation techniques to identify these behaviors without needing a crash. You can receive a citation immediately under the Hands-Free Georgia Act (O.C.G.A. §40-6-241) for any observed violation—no grace period exists.

Officers may issue warnings for first offenses, but they enforce strictly. Penalties start at a $50 fine and one license point, escalating with repeats to deter you from shifting focus from the road.

Violation Penalty Application

1. First offense: $50 fine, 1 license point—you can dismiss it by getting hands-free tech and showing cops.
2. Second offense: $100 fine, 2 points—no dismissal.
3. Third or more: $150 fine, 3 points—risks insurance hikes or suspension.
4. Officers enforce strictly to cut distracted driving crashes.

Steps After a Distracted Driving Crash

If you’re involved in a distracted driving crash, call 911 immediately to report the incident and check for injuries.

Exchange your personal and insurance information with the other driver to support insurance claims.

If injuries or major damage exist, request police to document the scene for an official police report.

Collect evidence: take photos and videos of damages, road conditions, and the distraction.

Keep statements to police factual—avoid guesses or apologies that could harm your case.

State-by-State Distracted Driving Laws: Texting Bans, Handheld Rules & Penalties

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is the Distracted Driving Law in Georgia?

You can’t hold or support a phone while driving in Georgia under the Hands-Free Georgia Act. Texting while driving is banned, along with scrolling or videos. Distracted driving penalties start at a $50 fine and 1 point for first offenses.

Can You Refuse to Show ID to Police in Georgia?

No, you can’t always refuse to show ID to police in Georgia. During police encounters with reasonable suspicion or as a driver, ID requirements apply under O.C.G.A. § 40-5-29; refusal risks obstruction charges. In voluntary stops, you’re not obligated.

Is It Illegal in the State of Georgia to Drive Barefoot?

80% of U.S. states, including Georgia, permit barefoot driving despite myths—you won’t get ticketed just for it. you improve driving safety via barefoot driving‘s pedal grip, but crashes could spark reckless charges if bare feet factor in.

Can You Touch Your Phone at All While Driving?

No, you can’t touch your phone while driving in Georgia except briefly to initiate or end calls without holding it. Georgia’s Hands-Free Law restricts phone usage to protect driving safety; use hands-free methods only.

Conclusion

You follow Georgia’s Hands-Free Act by keeping your phone mounted and using voice commands—you don’t hold it, so you’re safe and legal. Sure, it feels restrictive at first, but you’ll quickly enjoy the freedom of distraction-free drives, sharper focus, and fewer close calls. Obey the law, rack up no fines or points, and protect yourself and others on the road.