Drivers across Georgia would likely agree that traffic laws are crucial to keeping motorists safe. Speed limits keep drivers from going too fast; wearing a seat belt keeps people from getting seriously injured in the event of a quick stop or collision; drunk driving laws deter motorists from getting behind the wheel while intoxicated.
However, there are gaps in the laws that leave motorists vulnerable. These so-called loopholes have been identified in a study conducted by the Advocates for Highway & Auto Safety and they could be leading to catastrophic accidents that put the lives of Atlanta drivers in danger.
According to the study, Georgia laws fall somewhere in the middle when it comes to protecting people. There are many effective laws that protect people, including primary enforcement of front-seat seat belt laws, graduated license restrictions, cellphone and texting restrictions as well as laws that increase penalties for people who drive drunk with children in the car.
However, there are still several gaps in these and other laws. For example, in Atlanta, the restrictions placed on novice drivers leave room for improvement. The study notes that in Georgia, there are inadequate nighttime restrictions on unsupervised teen drivers. State laws also fall short in terms of ignition interlock requirements for drunk drivers and seat belt use for rear passengers.
Overall, Georgia highway safety laws rank as adequate, but more needs to be done to protect motorists, according to this particular study.
Unfortunately, the fact is that even when people comply with all the laws that are in place and those that possibly should be in place, there is no guarantee that other drivers will take the same precautions. In fact, many motorists knowingly break the law while driving or operate their vehicle in a dangerous manner despite the potential consequences of getting a ticket or arrested.
While it is not possible to hold every single driver accountable for every single violation on the road, it is possible to hold a negligent or reckless driver accountable in the event that he or she causes a motor vehicle accident. This can be true whether the driver broke a law or not.