Canton Men Arrested After Routine Traffic Stop

Cherokee County Justice Center

Canton, Ga. – The Cherokee County Sheriff's Office released information regarding an arrest earlier this week.

According to reports, two men were arrested on felony drug trafficking charges after over two pounds of methamphetamine inside their vehicle. Their vehicle was pulled over when deputies noticed that the driver was allegedly failing to maintain his lane. This led to deeper investigation by deputies and a K-9 unit. The K-9 officer detected the methamphetamine in a cooler in the back of the vehicle. The driver and the passenger were arrested at the scene.

As a Georgia DUI Lawyer, I focus on how routine traffic offenses can lead to more in-depth investigations that can lead to serious charges such as drug possession or DUI in Georgia. In today's post, I will focus on the first offense allegedly committed by the driver in the story above – failure to maintain lane.

Failure to Maintain Lane in Georgia

The offense of failure to maintain lane in Georgia is defined by Georgia Law in O.C.G.A. § 40-6-48 as:

A vehicle shall be driven as nearly as practicable entirely within a single lane and shall not be moved from such lane until the driver has first ascertained that such movement can be made with safety.

Most assume that failure to maintain lane is weaving all over the road. However, that is not the only way to violate the statute. Numerous courts in Georgia have interpreted the statute to include a driver who simply touched the white or yellow lines.

A ticket for failure to maintain lane will usually result in a small fine and three points on your driver's license. It is important to remember that an accumulation of 15 points in 2 years will lead to a license suspension for six months. For a driver under 21 years of age, 4 points will result in the driver's license being suspended.

Practice Note

If you or a loved one has been accused of a serious traffic violation and other charges, call our offices now. We can help you with your case today.