(Photo: House Study Committee on Distracted Driving)

Driver behavior factors into auto insurance rates and premiums. While this isn't the first time the Peach State has issued a law to limit distracted driving, drivers are following the law much more closely this time around. An analysis by TrueMotion of over 21,000 drivers in Georgia — three months before and four months after the law began — revealed just how the law has altered driver behavior.

TrueMotion found that in the three months leading up to the new law, drivers in Georgia were texting and using apps 19.5% of their time behind the wheel. But after the law went into effect, distracted driving fell to 15.4% of total driving time, a 21% decrease.

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Law enforcement gets a boost

As the state's traffic crashes became more frequent and severe, law enforcement efforts were "unenforceable" because they couldn't determine whether a driving "is texting or simply dialing a telephone number."

A key finding from the committee's study stated: "Our texting laws are ineffective. For example, there were more Georgia traffic fatalities per [vehicle miles traveled] in 2016 than before our 2010 texting law."

With the law in its current format, law enforcement will likely have an easier time issuing penalties. Each time a driver is stopped for illegal use of their cellphone, they will be fined at higher amounts and receive an increasing number of points on their license.

As pervasive as distracted driving is, Georgia's law highlights one way it can be curbed. But the problem remains an elusive one across the country, so states must consider all options if there is ever to be a day where roadways in the United States are free of distracted drivers.

Related: 10 ways cellphones dangerously distract drivers