How Texting While Driving Leads to Serious Crashes in Georgia
You do not have to be speeding or reckless to cause a crash. Sometimes, all it takes is a phone in your hand at the wrong time. On highways near Macon and throughout Georgia, we have seen the consequences when drivers choose to text instead of focus. It is not a rare mistake; it is an everyday one. And for those hurt by it, the damage is anything but ordinary.
Why Texting While Driving Is So Risky
Texting does not just pull your eyes off the road; it pulls everything. Your vision, your hands, and your focus shift to a screen that has nothing to do with traffic or the curve ahead. The CDC outlines three types of distraction: visual, manual, and cognitive. Most distractions hit one or two. Texting hits all three. That is why even a quick message can lead to devastating outcomes.
Georgia’s Hands-Free Law
Since 2018, Georgia drivers have been required to keep phones out of their hands. The state’s hands-free law, O.C.G.A. § 40-6-241, does not just cover texting. It also applies if you are checking directions, flipping through music, or even tapping the screen while stopped at a red light. Voice commands and Bluetooth are fine. Holding the phone is not.
Penalties include:
- A fine starting at $50
- Points on your license
- Possible spikes in insurance costs
- Full liability if a crash occurs due to phone use
Even so, SafeWise reports that texting while driving remains widespread in Georgia.
What It Looks Like on the Road
The crashes do not always come from swerving or speeding. Often, it is the silence before the sound—the moment when someone should have braked, but did not.
- The car ahead slows, and there is no reaction
- A lane shift happens, and a drifting vehicle does not correct
- A pedestrian appears, and the driver does not see them
- A curve comes up fast, but the screen had the driver’s attention
In all of these, what is missing is presence. And at 55 miles an hour, presence is not optional.
What the Numbers Keep Showing
Distracted driving keeps taking lives, no matter how many headlines warn against it. The NHTSA reported more than 3,500 deaths nationwide in a single year. Georgia has not been spared, especially when it comes to younger drivers. But across all age groups, phone use behind the wheel remains far too common. Citations have gone up, but the behavior has not gone away.
When the Other Driver Was Texting
When someone looks down at their phone and causes a crash, Georgia law sees it for what it is: negligence. And if you were the one injured, that gives you the right to seek compensation. Whether it is medical costs, lost time at work, or the long-term effects of trauma, you are not expected to carry it alone.
Your claim could cover:
- Hospital bills and follow-up care
- Time missed from work
- Pain, both physical and emotional
- Damage to your car or belongings
- Counseling or therapy related to the crash
- Permanent disability or scarring
Proving distraction often involves phone records, police reports, traffic camera footage, and witness statements. An attorney can secure what matters before it disappears.
Why Legal Support Makes a Difference
Insurance companies do not like to admit their driver was texting. They may deny it, shift blame, or stall. That is where a car accident lawyer in Macon GA becomes essential. A skilled lawyer will:
- Launch an independent investigation
- File legal requests for phone data
- Work with accident reconstruction specialists
- Build a full accounting of your losses
- Negotiate strongly, or go to court if needed
In some cases, courts award punitive damages when the driver’s actions were especially reckless.
Georgia’s Two-Year Rule
You only have a limited window to act. Under O.C.G.A. § 9-3-33, most injury lawsuits in Georgia must be filed within two years of the crash. If you miss that deadline, your right to recover compensation may be gone, regardless of how strong your case is.
Talk to a Car Accident Lawyer in Macon GA Today
Texting while driving is not a harmless mistake. It is a decision that puts others in danger. If you were hurt because someone else made that choice, you deserve answers and action. At Prine Law Group, we take these cases seriously. We investigate fast, build strong claims, and fight for what is fair.
Call 478-257-6333 or fill out our secure online form to schedule a free consultation with an experienced car accident lawyer in Macon GA. You have been through enough. Let us help you move forward.
