Georgia state driving laws every new driver should know

Which Georgia state driving laws catch new drivers out?

Speed is the first: these are the limits when no sign is posted, and they turn up on the permit test as well. After that come phones, seat belts, lane rules, school buses and alcohol, each in its own section.

Georgia speed limits when no sign is posted

Drive 75 mph or more on a two-lane road, or 85 mph or more anywhere, and you owe the state a $200 Super Speeder fee on top of your ticket. Speeding fines in work zones run from $100 to $2,000.

Phones, seat belts and child seats

• Hands-free law: you may not hold or support a phone, or write, send or read texts. It's up to $50 and 1 point the first time, $100 and 2 points the second, and $150 and 3 points after that.
• Seat belts: everyone in the front seat, and everyone under 18 anywhere in the car. The manual calls Georgia's belt law a primary law.
• Children under 8 must ride in a proper child restraint.

Lanes and sharing the road

• The 'Slow Poke' law: move out of the left lane when faster traffic comes up behind you, whatever your speed.
• School buses: on a two-lane road, a four-lane road without a median, or a road with a center turn lane, traffic both ways stops. On a divided highway with a median, only traffic behind the bus stops.
• Bicycles: leave at least 3 feet when passing.
• Sanitation and mail trucks: change lanes if you can. If not, slow to 10 mph under the limit or 25 mph, whichever is more.
• Emergency vehicles: don't follow within 200 feet, and don't park within 500 feet of a fire truck at an alarm.

Alcohol, and what to do after a crash

You're considered under the influence at 0.08 if you're 21 or older, and at 0.02 if you're under 21. Refusing a chemical test when police ask costs you your license for at least a year.

After a crash, stop in a safe place and swap details with the other driver. Call police if anyone is hurt or killed, or damage is over $500. If no one is badly hurt on a multi-lane highway, move the cars off the road if they can be driven.