The Lane Ranger: Teen driving laws rated 'acceptable'
Joey Ledford - Staff
Friday, January 26, 2001

A respected national safety organization says Georgia's existing graduated licensing law for teenagers is "acceptable."

Presumably, measures pending in the Legislature to toughen the four-year-old law would move Georgia into the "good" range, enjoyed by only seven states in the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety study, which rated states higher for tough restrictions like nighttime curfews and passenger limitations.

Georgia got "good" ratings for its child restraint law, violations of which now cost offenders points off their license. The Peach State also got a "good" for requiring motorcycle helmet use.

Georgia's DUI laws were rated "acceptable," as was its seat belt law. Georgia's only "poor" grade came for its failure to have a law allowing red light camera enforcement. However, it's only fair to note the state attorney general's office has ruled that a state law is not required for local jurisdictions to use the high-tech devices.

Employees of the state Department of Transportation are being outfitted in new high-visibility safety vests designed to better protect them from high-speed traffic. The new vests are a florescent yellow-green with two-inch silver stripes and completely wrap around the worker's body, a departure from the traditional orange used along Georgia highways for years.

Now to reader mail:

As a former municipal court judge and a practicing traffic law attorney, as well as the father of a 16-year-old, I surprisingly find myself in agreement with most of the provisions of the teen driving bill pending in the Legislature.

However, I believe the curfew for 16-year-olds needs to be 11 p.m. Many high school events are not over until 10 p.m.

In addition, a six-month revocation for a two-point violation is totally unrealistic. A more realistic solution would be revocation for four points during a one-year period.

Give me a break if you really think officers will not make up a moving violation in order to stop a car full of teens out past the curfew. I would be glad to provide you with several cases in which officers have stopped teens without (reasonable) suspicion.

--- Mickey G. Roberts, Duluth

If Senate Bill 1 isn't amended to death, it may actually accomplish a reduction in the teen carnage. I know that many parents are going to become very "creative" when it comes to the affidavit on teen driving hours. A certificate from a state-approved driving school should instead be required. Another weak spot is the fact that provisions against carrying more than one other teen and the curfew are secondary violations. Teens will thumb their noses at the police and violate these with impunity. It would have been better to have omitted such provisions if we don't have the resolve to enforce them.

--- Edward A. Watkins, Decatur

The idea of a curfew for teen drivers is ridiculous! I am a teen in the school marching band. Our band is very competitive and travels to all our school's games. We are never through with the game until 10 p.m., which means it will be later when we return to the school, even on home games.

This would put about half the band and half the football team in a jam. It means we have to rely, once again, on our parents to come and get us. You can ask any parent in the state of Georgia --- that is a major pain.

--- Justin Fitzpatrick, Carroll County

To the "unrepentant non-speeder" in last Friday's column: You finally get it. What you propose, keeping to the right, is exactly what knowledgable drivers want. To "fed up:" It is not a question of how fast you are going. You simply keep right except to pass and yield the left lane to those wishing to pass you.

If practiced, these logically simple conventions of behavior would make tailgating, weaving, and the dangerous practice of passing on the right all but disappear. As for the speeders, it is the job of the police to control them.

--- Jack Gaines, Dunwoody

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