Athens Law Blog

Virtually every city or state has laws on the books that describe what type of activities that a pedestrian can lawfully engage in without the risk of being ticketed. These rules and regulations aren't on the books to make people's lives inconvenient but to protect individuals from getting hurt or killed. Many of these laws have to do with pedestrians crossing the street, with or without crosswalks and signals.

The Official Code of Georgia Annotated (O.C.G.A.) § 40-6-91 describes what rights pedestrians have when crosswalks are present at an intersection. That law gives walkers the right of way if they're in an adjoining lane to the one that has a consistent flow of traffic. That same law prohibits pedestrians from suddenly entering an active traffic lane, especially if it gives a motorist too little time to stop before striking them. It prohibits drivers from passing another motorist simply to bypass a pedestrian as well.

When you hear news stories about someone being arrested for driving under the influence (DUI), it often has to do with them getting behind the wheel after drinking excessive amounts of alcohol. It's only in recent years that news stories have begun circulating about individuals driving while under the influence of drugs. While you may feel confident that you could easily identify a drunk driver, do you think that you'd be as successful in picking out a drugged one?

Drugs impact motorists differently from alcohol. Most drunk drivers react similarly while driving no matter whether they drink beer, wine or hard liquor. These motorists often experience delayed response times to different stimuli, blurred vision and other motor skills declines. The symptoms that drugged motorists often experience vary depending on the drug that a motorist consumes.

In Georgia, a traffic ticket is more than just an inconvenience. In addition to the fines you could face, you could also deal with the implications of additional points on your record. These add up, leaving you with higher insurance costs and other consequences that can cost you time and money.

Many assume it is best to just pay the ticket and move on, but this is not always the optimal choice. It may be worthwhile to fight back and avoid an accumulation of additional points on your record. If you accumulate a certain number of points on your record in a certain time period, it can lead to a suspension of your driving privileges. As you can see, there is more at stake than you may realize after you get a citation for violating a traffic law.

Drunk drivers, listen up! The Georgia Implied Consent Law applies to anyone who maintains a driver's license here in the Peach State. This piece of legislation makes it mandatory for any motorist who is stopped on suspicion of drunk or drugged driving to submit to chemical testing to determine whether they're indeed intoxicated. There are penalties if a Georgia driver refuses to submit to such state-administered testing.

Georgia drivers can refuse chemical testing if they want to but will have their driver's license immediately suspended for doing so. This suspension will last at least one year. Motorists who have their license revoked in such instances will be ineligible to receive a limited driving permit if they are ultimately convicted of their first driving under the influence (DUI) charge.