Editorial Roundup: Georgia

Please put the phone down when you are behind the wheel.

Texting and driving can be fatal.

We have all been warned about the dangers.

The state of Georgia has passed laws to help prevent it.

You have heard about all the serious injuries and deaths caused by it.

Still, many of you text and drive.

We wonder, what is it going to take to get you to stop?

Georgia’s “hands-free” law has been in place for a few years now and still it is quite common to see people driving down the road, phone in hand, looking down and texting away.

People continue to die on our roadways at an alarming rate and many accidents are attributed to distracted driving.

The law prohibits drivers from having a phone or standalone electronic device in their hands or touching any part of their body while operating a motor vehicle on Georgia roadways.

A Bluetooth speakerphone, earpiece, electronic watch or wireless headset is allowed so long as it is not being operated by the driver’s hand. The use of GPS and navigational devices are allowed but drivers cannot have a phone in their hand or supported by any part of their body. The law is designed to prevent cellphones from interfering with a driver’s ability to operate a vehicle and keep attention on the road.

The law allows drivers to use “hands-free” technology to make or receive phone calls and use GPS devices, but drivers cannot at any time use their phones to write, read or send text messages, emails, social media and internet data. The use of voice-to-text technology is allowed, officials explained.

Also, the hands-free law prohibits drivers from watching videos as well as recording videos, though GPS navigational videos and continuously running dash cams are permitted.

You can listen to music through streaming apps on your phone, but you cannot activate their apps or change music through the phone while driving. Music streaming apps programmed and controlled through the vehicle’s radio system are allowed. Music streaming apps that also have video are not allowed since the law specifically prohibits drivers from watching videos.

Anyone still confused about what they are allowed to do when driving, you cannot have a phone in your hands or on any part of your body if you want to make or receive a phone call or use GPS. You cannot legally text, email or surf the internet on your phone at all when you are driving.

Please put the phone down when behind the wheel and help keep yourself, your passengers and others on the roadway safe.

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Valdosta Daily Times. April 12, 2024.

Editorial: 10 days left to register to vote

If you wish to vote in next month’s primary — and if you’re not already registered — you have 10 days left in which to provide yourself access to the most basic of American rights.

The deadline to register is April 22.

Simply put, if you are not registered, you cannot vote.

Voter registration is straightforward and simple.

We write a lot about the importance of voting and registration because we believe democracy is strengthened by voter participation.

We strongly support voter registration drives and think they are crucial for voter turnout.

Consequently, we encourage organizers to step up their efforts, but at the end of the day, it is still up to each individual to register to vote.

Anyone can register to vote at the Lowndes County Elections Office or you can download the registration form at the Georgia Secretary of State website.

Just last month, Georgia voters helped the Democratic and Republican parties select their presumptive nominees for president, but there are so many more offices up for consideration May 21 — most of them at the local level.

Lowndes County voters will face contested elections for coroner, tax commissioner, county commission District 5, and both District 5 and District 7 of the county school board. They will also weigh in on who’ll be the next Superior Court judge, a contest that features two Valdosta attorneys. Some state-level offices are also on the ballot, including two Democrats facing off to see who will challenge U.S. Rep. Austin Scott in November.

Your vote will help determine the outcomes of those races.

If you are not yet registered to vote, why not?

Voting is our civic responsibility to the very government we have created to guarantee and protect our freedoms. Our civic duties go beyond merely obeying the law, serving on juries and paying income taxes. We are only a self-governed people when we exercise our rights to vote and pick our own leaders.

Register.

Participate in democracy.

Exercise your right to vote.

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Brunswick News. April 12, 2024.

Editorial: Citizens must help police, prosecutors curtail gang activity

Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr has been making the rounds in the Golden Isles this week speaking on a problem that is not only relevant to Glynn County but to the entire state: gangs.

On Wednesday, Carr was part of the Georgia Anti-Gang Network meeting at the Brunswick Library. The meeting included more than 100 law enforcement, government leaders and stakeholders looking for ways to address the problem.

Statistics show just how prevalent gangs are across the state. Carr said that an estimated 60% of violent crimes in Georgia are related to gang activity. A survey taken in 2018 said that all but two of the state’s 159 counties had reported gang activity.

The Golden Isles is not immune to gang problems. According to arrest warrants, the shooting of a 14-year-old boy on Feb. 18 was the result of a gang-related ambush. Four teenagers are currently behind bars charged with various crimes in connection to the shooting, including aggravated assault and attempted murder.

While speaking at the Grits and Issues conference at Jekyll Island on Thursday, Carr promised Southeast Georgia would get more funding to fight gang violence. The best use of those funds would be to help city and county police fill the shortage of officers both departments are facing.

One of the big themes of Carr’s message involving gangs was bringing the various law enforcement agencies and prosecutors together to communicate and share information better so that more perpetrators can be brought to justice. That collaborative effort should also extend to citizens.

It is important for citizens to inform police of any suspicious activities they see in their neighborhoods. Even if our local police departments were fully staffed, it would be difficult for them to be everywhere at once. The fact that the departments are currently understaffed makes the job even more difficult.

That’s why it is important for citizens to be aware of what’s going on in their neighborhood and inform police when they suspect something out of the ordinary is happening. Whether it is hearing gunshots or seeing suspicious activity taking place, the first step to helping the police do their jobs is by letting them know what’s happening.

We must also continue to do everything we can to steer impressionable youth and teens away from gang life. No matter how glamorous they may think it is, the gang life is only going to lead them to prison or an early grave.

The gang issue won’t go away overnight, but it is incumbent on all of us to do what we can to help nip the problem in the bud before it grows out of control.

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