The sheer volume of traffic laws that a new driver must absorb might be intimidating. Still, most of these things become automatic once some time has passed. When the light is red, you come to a complete stop. Before switching lanes, you give a signal. As dusk approaches, you activate your vehicle’s headlights. Discuss your case with an Atlanta auto accident attorney.
However, some regulations were likely glossed over during your time in driver’s ed. You didn’t pick them up while driving, nobody ever told you about them, and (hopefully) you haven’t had to find out the hard way from a cop. Here are a few things you might have missed:
Change of Lane Regulations
Changing lanes, if safe to do so, is mandated by Georgia statute 40-6-16 while approaching a stopped emergency vehicle with flashing yellow, amber, white, red, or blue lights. When changing lanes is either not practicable or too risky, drivers should reduce their speed to below the limit sign and be ready to stop if necessary. You may already be aware that this rule applies to halted emergency vehicles like police cars, fire engines, and ambulances, but you should also be aware that DOT vehicles, HERO units, and wreckers attempting to clear a crash are covered by this law as well. I
It’s Open Container Time!
This is yet another rule of law that you have probably heard of but may not completely grasp. According to Georgia’s Open Container Law, it is illegal to have any type of alcoholic beverage that has been opened in the automobile with you or to drink from such a container while driving.
Laws Against Leaving Food on Your Plates
Have a plastic cover or a frame that obscures portion of the lettering on your licence plate? O.C.G.A. 40-2-6.1 makes it illegal to conceal a licence plate in order to obstruct monitoring technology, so your aesthetic preferences may be illegal. Police officers and their car scanners require unobstructed views of licence plates in order to verify vehicle ownership. You could be charged with a misdemeanour and fined up to $1,000 if your licence plate cover or frame blocks the vision of surveillance equipment.
Hands-Free Driving Legislation
In 2018, the so-called “Hands-Free Act” entered into force in Georgia, generating a lot of media attention. This regulation expanded an already existing ban on texting to encompass talking on the phone, using applications, or shooting images or videos.
