Georgia Legal Issues Blog

Authorities are always searching for ways to keep citizens safe. One measure that many states across the country have recently enacted relates to cellphone usage in moving vehicles. Georgia passed a law just last year that restricted holding and using mobile phones while driving a motor vehicle. The hope was that these laws would prevent car wrecks. Now, several municipalities are reporting exactly how that measure has affected their areas.

In nearby Rome, police officers report that they issued almost 1,000 citations for motorists using their cellphones in violation of the law. The number was higher than they thought it would be, and they hoped that many drivers would choose to voluntarily comply with the new law. One representative pointed out that many drivers thought that using their phone at a red light was acceptable, but that is not true.

Any car wreck that results in harm to a person is tragic, but ones that involve children can be particularly upsetting. A young life cut short is one of the worst things that can happen to a family. They may struggle to come to terms with what happened, wondering if they could have taken a different action that would have saved the young person's life. Many times, someone else is responsible for the fatal incident. This is what police say is the case in the deaths of two Georgia children, killed in a car wreck involving multiple vehicles.

Authorities say that, on a recent evening, a woman driving on a roadway in an unincorporated area of town hit another vehicle, a Rav 4, when she crossed into oncoming traffic. A Honda then allegedly rear-ended the Rav 4. Two children riding in the Rav 4 did not survive. A total of eight people were taken to a local hospital for treatment of injuries that resulted from the crashes.

Nursing homes are designed to be places where elderly and vulnerable people can feel safe and supported both physically and emotionally. In the majority of cases, nursing homes successfully fulfill their purpose. In this way, they can be invaluable sources of support for aging people who are unable to take care of themselves alone.

However, instances of nursing home abuse are shockingly common. The World Health Organization found that 1 in 6 people who are over the age of 60 experience abuse within community settings each year. It also found that long-term care facilities and nursing homes globally saw high rates of elder abuse.

Conventional wisdom has long held that 50% of marriages today end in divorce. However, recent statistics prove that idea wrong. Overall, divorce rates are plummeting -- the rate dipped 18% from 2008 to 2016, according to one study. Upon closer examination of the facts, however, it is apparent that this decrease only holds true for certain demographics. Experts have theories as to what is causing these trends, and Georgia families may learn a great deal from their insight.

First, the falling divorce rate seems to be due to younger adults. The biggest reason is because marriage rates are going down at the same time. Many young adults are delaying marriage or not getting married at all. The average age of first marriage has gone up to 27.8 for women and 29.8 for men in 2018, from 22 and 26.1 respectively in 1890. Experts say that many of these young people want to solidify their education, career and finances before settling down.