Georgia’s recently-instituted hands-free law concerning cell phone usage in vehicles is an excellent idea and one that needs to be implemented in Alabama as soon as possible.

There are already a number of laws regulating driving behavior including mandatory seatbelt use, what type of activities you can partake in while driving and when a child is too old to have a booster seat.

The reason for these laws is two-fold. First,  they are proven to save lives. Second, they build up life-saving habits. This is the main reason the state should adopt a hands-free law.

Texting and driving has been an issue for more than 20 years now, ever since the first cell phone was introduced with a keyboard. Unfortunately, common sense has not won out over this.

You should not be handling your phone while driving. This simple statement is one that most people ignore in some way, leading to a situation now where a law has to be put in place fining people that handle their phones while on the road.

No doubt there are those that decree this as an overreach by the government, another piece of evidence that those in power are in some way reducing our freedoms.

These are the same arguments made when people complain about seatbelt laws and the same rebuttal applies here: it saves lives and people have shown they are unwilling to be responsible.

Hands-free isn’t a law yet in Alabama, but every member of the state Senate and House should consider sponsoring a bill to make it one.

There is only one thing you can call a law that is guaranteed to save lives: a good one.