Two new Georgia laws will soon prohibit anyone from texting while driving and ban teenagers from using cell phones while driving. The laws go into effect July 1.

There's no doubt about the need for the legislation signed into law by Gov. Sonny Perdue.

It's nothing short of suicidal for anyone to punch in text messages on a cell phone or similar devices while behind the wheel of a motor vehicle. And even using a cell phone while driving can be hazardous to anyone's health, not just teens.

The "Caleb Sorohan Act for Saving Lives by Preventing Texting While Driving" constitutes a memorial to 18-year-old Caleb Sorohan, a 2009 Morgan County High graduate who was killed last December when he crashed head-on into another car while apparently texting on his cell phone. His family and friends pushed for the legislation, hoping to prevent such tragedies in the future. They want something good to come from their loss.

To their credit, 50 of the young man's peers spent hours at the high school last week telephoning Perdue's office and making calls to their friends to drum up support for the legislation, the Morgan County Citizen reported. Leading the effort with legislators was county school board member Dave Belton, who joined Caleb's sister, Alex, and a Morgan County High student in meeting with the governor as he wavered on signing the bill.

Even as he signed it, Perdue expressed reservations about the measure that carries a penalty of $150 fine and one point on the drivers license. He raised questions about the enforceability of the law, noting that reading e-mail on his cell phone while driving would be illegal while reading printed e-mails would not be. Another issue of concern to the governor was that of individual freedom versus public safety demands.

One of the strongest supporters of the bill was Rep. Allen Peake (R-Bibb County), who had introduced a House measure to prohibit texting while driving. After the governor signed the Senate bill, Peake repeated his belief that the legislation will help save lives. Peake argued that the public safety benefits "outweighed the negatives and the concerns ... about law enforcement and other liability issues."

Early in the last session of the legislature when Peake introduced his bill, he said it would make Georgia the 20th state to bar text messaging while driving. He also cited a study showing texting "reduces steering control by 91 percent."

Perdue said he expects the next General Assembly to fix the enforceability problem.

But there are other problems with the two bills. What about out-of-state drivers traveling through Georgia? Is the state going to put up billboards on all the interstates to warn motorists of no texting or teen cell phone use?

Aside from that, it will be difficult for law enforcement officers to detect anything but the more obvious texting, and it's one more policing duty. Still, if it results in saving one life, then you have to believe it's worth the effort.

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