Put your phone away and just drive: Hands-Free cell phone use is now the law drivers in Georgia
Press Release July 2, 2018Hands-Free cell phone use is law
Drive Alert Arrive Alive, Georgia!
CARTERSVILLE, Ga.—Just put down the phone and DRIVE! Hands-free cell phone use is now the law for drivers in Georgia. The Hands-Free Law (House Bill 673; Hands-Free Georgia Act), which went into effect on July 1, requires hands-free technology when drivers use cell phones and other electronic devices. Among other things, it is illegal for a driver to hold a phone in their hand or to use their body to support a phone. Penalties range from $50 and one point on a license for the first conviction to $150 and three points for the third and subsequent convictions.
Read Georgia Department of Transportation’s (GDOT) The EXTRA MILE blog post – Hands-Free Means Big Changes for the Better in Georgia – by guest author Robert Hydrick of the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety (GOHS). For additional information on the many facets of the law, visit http://www.headsupgeorgia.com/
“I am optimistic that Georgia’s new Hands-Free law will save lives,” GDOT Commissioner Russell R. McMurry. P.E. said. “I also want to emphasize how crucial it is for drivers and passengers to buckle up. Seatbelts truly save lives.”
Through its Drive Alert Arrive Alive campaign, GDOT has, for several years, called attention to an alarming surge in fatalities on Georgia’s roads after a decade of reductions. Many of these deaths are preventable. The campaign implores motorists to focus on driving, to not drive distracted and to wear a seatbelt to reduce the chance of serious injury or death if there is a crash. Visitwww.dot.ga.gov/DAAA.
While GDOT reports that, as of June 28, 2018, overall roadway fatalities are down 10 percent in Georgia from the same time last year, pedestrian deaths are up 22 percent. GDOT’s See & Be Seen campaign, the pedestrian component of Drive Alert Arrive Alive, emphasizes that pedestrian safety is a shared responsibility between motorists and pedestrians. Visit www.dot.ga.gov/SBS.
Summer construction roadwork is underway across Georgia. Before you get on the road, call 511 or visit www.511ga.org for real-time information about active construction, incidents and road conditions.Pay extra attention in work zones – slow down and watch for workers. Work zone safety is everybody’s responsibility.
Work on a project to upgrade signals at four intersections in Fannin, Gilmer and Pickens
Press Release June 20, 2018
Work to begin soon on four signal upgrades in Fannin, Gilmer and Pickens counties
- ELLIJAY, Ga. – Work could begin soon on a signal upgrade project in at various location in Fannin, Gilmer and Pickens counties. Georgia DOT has just awarded a contract to World Fiber Technologies, LLC. of Land O Lake, Florida, valued at close to a million dollars for a construction project to upgrade the signals at four intersections in these three counties. The project includes a complete signal upgrade with pedestrian accommodation for every intersection. This would bring these intersections up to ADA requirements and replace old signal parts in place. The four intersections are at the following locations:
- State Route (SR) 515 at Ballewtown Road in Fannin County
- SR 52 at SR 2/River Street in Gilmer County
- SR 53 Business at Main Street in Pickens County
- SR 53 Business at Sammy McGhee Blvd in Pickens County
“This project and others like it in northwest Georgia add up to these two things- better and safer mobility and a better quality of life for all the area residents,” said Grant Waldrop, assistant district engineer at the Georgia DOT office in Cartersville.
This signal upgrade project is scheduled to be completed by the end of June 2019, at a construction cost of $736,739. Information on construction and lane closure schedules on this project will be forthcoming before work begins.
More details on this and other projects in the Department’s most recent bid awards are available via Award Announcement Download at: https://www.bidx.com/ga/lettin
The Georgia Department of Transportation continues its 2018 construction program. Dozens of important roadway improvement projects are ongoing this summer throughout northwest Georgia as we work to deliver projects on time and on budget while keeping our transportation network the nation’s finest. Pardon the necessary inconvenience and please drive cautiously and safely at all times, especially in work zones.
The public is urged to “know before you go.” For real-time information on active construction, incidents and more, call 511 or visit www511ga.org before you get into your car.
Roadway work zones are hazardous for workers and for the public. In fact, most fatalities in work zones crashes are drivers or passengers. Obey the rules in work zones – Pay Attention – Slow Down – Watch for Workers. And always, expect the unexpected. It can make the difference between life and death. Remember – work zone safety is in your hands. For information on the Department of Transportation, visit http://www.dot.ga.gov. You also may like us on Facebook(https://www.facebook.com/GDOT
Georgia DOT Continues Cable Rail Repair Along I-575 in Cherokee
Press Release October 3, 2017
Georgia DOT Continues Cable Rail Repair along I-575 in Canton, GA
CANTON Ga. – A Georgia DOT Maintenance crew resumes today its work on repairing the cable rail along Interstate 575 in Cherokee County. Work will proceed daily between the hours of 7:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m., weather permitting.
It is Georgia DOT position that guardrail and cable rail maintenance and repair are essential to keeping our roadways safe for the traveling public. Our maintenance workers do their best to keep track of the damage to guard/cable rails and make repairs as quickly as possible in order to preserve road safety.
Each day, hundreds of Georgia Department of Transportation employees and contractors work on dozens of highway, bridge and intersection improvements throughout the state. Their work often brings them and heavy machinery in close proximity to travel lanes. Fifty-seven Georgia DOT personnel and many more motorists, passengers and contractors’ workers have been killed in highway work zone accidents since 1973. Please help us prevent these tragedies by slowing down; being especially attentive and cautious as you pass through construction work zones; and always driving responsibly. Safer Driving; Safer Work Zones; For Everyone. For information on the Department of Transportation, visit http://www.dot.ga.gov. You also may follow us on (www.facebook.com/GDOTNW) and Twitter (https://twitter.com/GDOTNW).
One Lane of Ga. 400 Closed This Weekend
News August 13, 2016
FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — It may seem like rush hour traffic to anyone planning to use Ga. 400 to commute into Atlanta this weekend. Georgia Department of Transportation has closed one northbound lane between McFarland Parkway/Exit 12 and Peachtree Parkway/Exit 13.
The lane was closed at 9 p.m Friday and will remain closed until noon on Monday while contractors work on widening the busy highway. GDOT officials ask that drivers reduce speeds while in the work zone as workers and heavy equipment will be near the road.
The highway is currently being widened on each side, and the northbound lane to Exit 13 is expected to open by September.