We have all seen it, someone driving down the road holding their cell phone or even texting while trying to hold on to the steering wheel.  Not only are smart phones one of the leading causes of distracted driving deaths in Georgia, it is also illegal to have one in your hands while operating a vehicle.

Anything that diverts attention from driving – eating and drinking, adjusting the navigation, or picking your next podcast can result in a fatal injury. Over 22 percent of distraction-affected crashes involved confirmed use of a smartphone. This underscores that while smartphone use is most frequently blamed for driver distraction, there are many other causes of distraction-affected crashes.

According to the Georgia Department of Drivers Services, there have been over 26,000 distracted driving tickets due to cell phones issued since the first of this year.

As children are headed back to school, the Georgia Department of Public Safety and law enforcement throughout the state are urging Georgia residents to put down that cell phone and pay attention to the road.