The sheriff in Cherokee County, Alabama, issued a warning to local motorists Sunday that can serve as a heads-up for drivers in all Georgia border counties.
Sheriff Jeff Shaver’s talking about Georgia’s new hands-free cellphone law which goes into effect July 1 just across the Alabama-Georgia line.
“I want to make you aware of the new Georgia law, because we have a large number of Cherokee County citizens who work or travel frequently in Georgia,” Shaver said, giving a run down on the new rule in a statement. “Under the new law, a person cannot operate a motor vehicle while operating a cellphone, holding a cellphone with your hand, or supporting a cellphone with any other part of your body in Georgia.
“Additionally, a person may not read, write, or send any text based communication, and a person cannot watch or record a video,” the sheriff said.
Alabama has no similar law for handheld cellphones although texting while driving is against the law.