Cellphones Banned For Drivers In Smyrna

SMYRNA, GA — Drivers in Smyrna will need to keep their hands on the wheel — and off of their phones — in the near future. Smyrna's city council on Tuesday night made the city the first in Georgia to pass its own law against holding cellphones or other electronic devices while driving.

The ordinance, which goes into effect on April 2, requires that all cellphone use in the city by drivers be hands-free. Motorists in Smyrna may still talk, use navigation apps and other tools, as long as they are not holding the device, according to the ordinance.

"Ultimately, I think this law will save lives," said Mayor pro tem Derek Norton, who championed the ordinance. "Every day, I observe drivers paying attention to the phone in their hands instead of the road."

Norton said he stood alongside Atlanta Road in Smyrna where, in several hours, he counted more than 500 people looking at cellphones while they were driving.

Drivers who violate the ordinance may be fined up to $150. Smyrna Police plan to only issue warnings to drivers they see using cellphones for the first 45 days the ordinance is in effect, Norton said.

In 2010, state lawmakers in Georgia passed a law that bans texting while driving. But that law has been lightly enforced and critics say it's written in a way that makes it difficult to do so. Under it, law enforcement must prove a driver was texting on the phone, not just holding it.

"The statewide no-texting law, the current law that is on the books, is simply not enforceable and it won't change driver behavior," Norton said.

State lawmakers are considering stronger legislation. That's the reason Smyrna's law won't take effect until April, which is after the General Assembly session is expected to be complete.

Smyrna's ordinance includes a "one-touch rule" that would allow a driver to tap a phone to take a call or engage a navigation guide or other app. The ordinance is written to expire in two years.

"At the end of that two years, we can look at the data," Norton said. "See if this is changing driver behavior and, if it is, we can keep it. If it's not, we can change it or tweak it."

Among the six council members present, the vote on the ordinance was 3-3, with members Norton, Charles Welch and Doug Stoner voting in favor and Maryline Blackburn, Andrea Blustein and Susan Wilkinson voting against.

Mayor Max Bacon broke the tie, voting in favor of the ordinance.

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