FOURTH OF JULY
YOUTH
DeKalb residents will have many ways to celebrate the nation’s birth, from parades and fireworks to colonial forts. 4,5
Southwest DeKalb’s LaTia Bell managed to remain competitive and maintain good grades while enduring pain from sickle cell disease. 6
Fireworks, hikes and more
Put Litter in Its Place
2018 Positive Athlete
Let’s Do Our Part to Keep DeKalb Beautiful A PUBLIC SERVICE MESSAGE FROM CROSSROADSNEWS
EAST ATLANTA • DECATUR • STONE MOUNTAIN • LITHONIA • AVONDALE ESTATES • CLARKSTON • ELLENWOOD • PINE LAKE • REDAN • SCOTTDALE • TUCKER • STONECREST
Copyright © 2018 CrossRoadsNews, Inc.
June 30, 2018
Volume 24, Number 9
www.crossroadsnews.com
Resurfacing to slow I-285 traffic to a crawl through July 2 Motorists using I-285 will face delays of up to two hours through July 2 as Georgia Department of Transportation work crews resurface 3.15 miles of the highway in Clayton, DeKalb and Fulton counties, weather permitting. GDOT says lane closures and ramp delays will disrupt traffic between SR 23/Moreland Avenue and Conley Road. The milling, inlay and resurfacing activities are needed due to deterioration of the roadway. Motorists are encouraged to avoid the area or use I-285 eastbound to I-675 southbound detour. Message boards, signage and barrels will
alert motorists of the closures in advance and reduce traffic to one lane in the area. Motorists are also encouraged to wear seatbelts, eliminate distractions behind the wheel, and plan their routes before getting on the road by calling 511 for real-time information on work status and traffic conditions. This is the fourth of five weekends of work. It will close three right lanes and the right shoulder on I-285 eastbound and westbound between SR 23/Moreland Avenue and Conley Road beginning at 9 p.m. on June 29 through 5 a.m. on July 2.
Work crews will close three right lanes and the right shoulder on I-285 between Moreland Avenue and Conley Road beginning at 9 p.m. on June 29 through 5 a.m. on July 2. Motorists may encounter long delays through the area.
Please see RESURFACING, page 2
Bryce Ethridge / CrossRoadsNews
Law limiting cell phone use takes effect July 1 Hands-free act restricts driver’s use of devices
Georgia is the 16th state to ban motorists from holding cell phones and other mobile devices while driving. Violators of the law will face penalties of $50 to $150, and one to three points on their licenses.
By Jennifer Ffrench Parker
Georgia motorists who like to hold their cell phones will have to go cold turkey on July 1 when the state’s new hands-free law goes into effect and makes it illegal to use cell phones while behind the wheel. Gov. Nathan Deal signed House Bill 673, also known as the “Hands Free Law,” on May 2. The law prohibits the use of electronic devices while driving, and it bans touching your phone for anything, including talking, texting, emails, social media, and videotaping, while operating an automobile. The ban extends to phone use while stopped at a traffic light. DeKalb Police spokeswoman Shiera Campbell said the department will be enforcing the law the day that it goes into effect. “There is no grace period,” she said June 28. Campbell also said motorists should not be surprised or caught off guard about the new law. “Drivers have been aware of this law for months now,” she said. Georgia is the 16th state to ban motorists from holding cell phones and other mobile devices while driving. The law comes as the state has seen significant increases in vehicle traffic crashes, fatalities and bodily injuries. Most have been in rear-end and single-car crashes and crashes by drivers ages 15 to 25. Law enforcement officials blame driver inattention and distraction for the increases. Statistics show that the use of a cell phone while driving increases the chance of death by four times. The 15 states that passed hands-free driving laws before Georgia saw a 16 percent decrease in traffic fatalities in the two years after the law went into effect.
Jennifer Ffrench Parker / CrossRoadsNews
Violators of the law will face penalties of $50 to $100, and one to two points on their licenses. After three or more violations, the fines go up to $150 and three points on their licenses. R o b e r t Hy d r i c k , spokesman for the Governors Office of Highway Safety, says the new law is about getting motorists to spend more time driving and less time interacting with their phones. Hydrick said that Robert Hydrick many agencies and officers will likely be giving out warnings in the first few months as the goal here is to change behavior. But he said that warnings are not guaranteed, and everyone needs to make obeying the law a priority from July 1. “It is instinct to pick up our phones when driving and it is going to be take a period of transition to make hands-free the mindset,”
he said June 28. “Drivers should check to see if they can pair or connect their phone through their vehicle or if they have a phone watch.” Come July 1, drivers can only legally use speakerphone, Bluetooth technology, an earpiece, a headphone or other devices.
Dos and don’ts of Hands Free Law: n A driver cannot have a phone in their hand or use any part of their body to support the phone. Drivers can only use their phones to make or receive phone calls by using speakerphone, earpiece, wireless headphone, or phone connected to vehicle or an electronic watch. GPS navigation devices are allowed. n Headsets and earpieces can only be worn for communication purposes and not for listening to music or other entertainment. n A driver may not send or read any textbased communication unless using voicebased communication that automatically converts messages to written text or is being
used for navigation or GPS. n A driver may not write, send or read any text messages, e-mails, social media or internet data content. n A driver may not watch a video unless it is for navigation. n A driver may not record a video, but continuously running dash cams are exempt. n Music streaming apps can be used provided the driver activates and programs them when they are parked. Drivers cannot touch their phones to do anything to their music apps when they are on the road. Music streaming apps that include video also are not allowed since drivers cannot watch videos when on the road. Drivers can listen to and program music streaming apps that are connected to and controlled through their vehicle’s radio. For more information about Georgia’s Hands Free law visit www.headsupgeorgia. com/handsfree-law/ or www.gahighwaysafety.org.