996 people have died in accidents on Georgia roads this year

MACON, Ga. -- According to the Georgia Department of Transportation, 996 people have died in accidents on Georgia roads so far this year, and we are only in September.

"Many of these fatalities are directly related to texting and driving or driving distracted," said Corp. Michael Burnes with the Georgia State Patrol.

Burnes said that oftentimes if someone is on their phone while driving, they are completely unaware that there is a law enforcement officer near them, let alone another driver. This can not only lead to tickets but also to an accident.

"There's many times where we can pull up right next to a car and look at them and at least for a minute or two, they're staring at their phone and don't even know that we're sitting next to them," he said.

However, Burnes said that although texting is illegal while driving, talking on a phone is okay.

He said that another big reason that law enforcement sees more crashes and deaths this time of year is due to people speeding and tailgating other vehicles. He encouraged all drivers to leave themselves enough time so they don't put themselves in that situation while rushing home.