Deputies find disturbing and potentially dangerous new trend in school speed zones

ATLANTA - Law enforcement officers in one Georgia county were targeting speeding, but ended up finding an equally disturbing trend. Hundreds of distracted drivers were openly violating Georgia’s Hands-Free Law.

The Coweta County Sheriff’s Office is cracking down on dangerous driving habits. They just concluded a 20-day push to get people to slow down and stay safe, but now they are also putting the word out drivers also need to pay more attention to the roadway.

During the 20-day crackdown, they wrote more than 750 tickets, mostly for speeding and seatbelt violations, but the traffic initiative revealed to deputies that drivers are still holding and even using their cellphones more than a year after the state’s Hands-Free law took effect.

Deputies wrote 138 tickets for cellphone use during the 20-day crackdown. And another surprising trend was drivers were actually on their phones in school zones. There is the concern distracted driving is just as dangerous as speeding in those school zone.

The largest number of tickets were given for speeding, second seatbelts and third cell phones during the traffic initiative by deputies in Coweta County.

The message from the deputies is simple: slow down vehicles, put down phones, and stay safe on Georgia’s roadways.