Being hit by someone texting and driving in DeKalb county and other metro Atlanta areas is an increasing problem. In 2010, 18% of all car accidents where someone was injured involved a driver who was distracted. http://goo.gl/ERFbz During that same time, over 3,000 people were killed due to an accident caused by a distracted driver. http://goo.gl/KltLy In Georgia, all drivers are banned from texting while driving. Georgia adopted legislation after experiencing a rising number of car accidents due to texting while driving and drivers talking on their cellphone or mobile phone while driving.
A driver who is texting and driving is 23 times more likely to cause an accident. According to information compiled by Distraction.gov the Official Government Website for Distracted Driving, http://goo.gl/2xRvY, the greatest population at risk are the youngest and most inexperienced drivers. A car accident caused by a distracted driver is responsible for 16% of all accidents involving drivers under the age of 20. http://goo.gl/2xRvY For this reason, young drivers under the age of 18 are banned from driving while using a cell phone or driving while using a mobile phone. For more information, see The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety for a compilation of laws on driving while texting for all states including Georgia. http://goo.gl/En1xX