Parents of Georgia teen killed by distracted driver honor her life as GA hands free law takes effect

ATLANTA - The "Hands-Free Georgia Act" is now in effect, and one Georgia family is honoring their daughter who was killed in a distracted driving accident.

Eighteen-year-old Merritt Levitan was hit and killed while riding her bike during a cross country cycling trip on July 2, 2013, nearly five years to the day before the "Hands-Free Georgia Act" became law.

Her parents, Anna and Rich Levitan have now dedicated their lives to encouraging voters to push for more hands-free legislation across the country.

Georgia is the 16th state in the nation to pass a hands-free driving law. The Levitans and their daughter's classmates started TextLess Live More (TLLM) after Merritt passed away. TLLM is a student-led awareness campaign to end distracted driving. 

The "Hands-Free Georgia Act" prohibits drivers form holding their phone in their hands or using any part of their body to support the device. 

Driving while wearing headphones is also not allowed, but drivers can talk on the phone using Bluetooth or speaker phone mode.

Have more questions about the "Hands-Free Georgia Act"? Click HERE.