The proposal, part of sweeping highway safety legislation that would take effect July 2002 if approved, got mixed reviews from lawmakers and metro teens.

Barnes targeted traffic-choked counties such as Fulton, Cobb, Gwinnett and DeKalb, where horrific teen driving crashes have become more and more frequent. But he also is reaching into burgeoning bedroom communities such as Carroll, Paulding and Walton counties, where efforts to make teens wait another year before hitting the road without adult supervision are seen by many as an unwarranted restriction.

"Driving in high-density traffic is difficult for even the most experienced drivers," Barnes said as he unveiled the new teen driving limits. "It's got to be - it has to be - overwhelming for someone new behind the wheel."

The governor took inspiration from New York, where teens have to wait two years to drive in Manhattan. He proposes a similar approach in metro Atlanta: Teenagers, no matter where they live, could continue to get a license at 16 and drive in Georgia's 141 other counties. But they couldn't drive without adult supervision in metro Atlanta's core counties until they turn 17.

The other restricted counties would be Barrow, Bartow, Cherokee, Clayton, Coweta, Douglas, Fayette, Forsyth, Hall, Henry and Rockdale.

The idea isn't resonating with some legislative leaders, including House Speaker Tom Murphy. Rep. Bobby Parham (D-Milledgeville), chairman of the House Motor Vehicles Committee, says raising the minimum solo driving age to 17 for metro Atlanta is a nonstarter.

"It is with me and the leadership," Parham said. "It's already been brought up in our meetings and significantly voted down. I would think it wouldn't come out of our committee."

A lot of teens - including many of the about 52,500 16-year-olds in those counties - hope Parham is right.

"If you want good drivers, you have to teach them, not just restrict them," said Molly Stofko, 17, who regularly drives three of her friends to Lassiter High School in Cobb County. "You need to educate them in driver's ed or defensive driving. They are not going to obey the laws if they don't understand the point of them."

But some teenagers believe a state law will help parents enforce rules they already know are right.

"Teenagers keep nagging parents," said Josh Shorter, an 18-year-old Grady High School senior. "And parents, in their hearts, want them to wait, but they nag them so much that they let them do it anyway."

Barnes has said for some time that he wants to keep solo 16-year-old drivers off the road in at least the four major metro Atlanta counties. But when his proposed legislation added 14 more counties, officials and parents in more rural parts of the state groaned.

"Uh-oh," said Rep. Tracy Stallings (D-Carrollton). "I thought it would just be hitting the big counties. I don't think we have the problems in the outside world that are inside I-285."

Some worry what could be next. "The problem for me is the kids at home think the next step is [an increase to] 17 statewide," said Rep. Terry Coleman (D-Eastman).

But some Georgians, like Newnan High School Principal Alan Wood, wouldn't mind if that were the case. He thinks the driving age should be raised across the state to force teenagers to spend more time practicing their driving skills.

"Older and wiser - I think those are the watchwords the governor is looking for," Wood said.

Barnes' proposal is the latest in a flurry of teen driving bills. Lt. Gov. Mark Taylor and Sen. Phil Gingrey (R-Marietta) are pushing another package, one that includes some of the governor's ideas for curfews and passenger restrictions, along with mandatory driver instruction and more difficult on-road driving tests.

"I think it's wonderful," Gingrey said of Barnes' proposed metro Atlanta driving restrictions. "If we could do that and get the provisions in our bill, I'd be the happiest guy in the world."

Highway safety advocates give the governor's plan mixed reviews. Statistics indicate rural Georgia is more risky for teenagers than metro Atlanta, they said.

The data show about 40 percent of Georgia's more than 300 teen driving fatalities in 1997-99 occurred in metro Atlanta, said John Morris, an Atlanta teen safety advocate. "If he's interested in saving only 40 percent of the kids, it does work," Morris said.

Enforcement seemed to be a big question for many critics. But Georgia Public Safety Commissioner Robert Hightower doesn't expect problems. Most of the time, "it's going to be in conjunction with them being stopped for other violations or at roadblocks," he said. "If there's a kid out there wanting to avoid detection, he's probably going to obey the traffic laws, and that's what we're after anyway."

Barnes acknowledged his legislation is likely to draw howls. But he said he is trying to target the area with the highest volume of serious accidents, and that's metro Atlanta.

"I hope none of these legislators who are voicing these concerns ever have a child or a grandchild killed or maimed in one of these accidents," Barnes said.

Staff writers David Pendered, David Bennett, Jennifer Brett, Ralph Ellis, Patti Ghezzi, Sonja Lewis, Andrea Jones, Bill Montgomery, Doug Nurse, Chris Quinn, Stephanie Reid, Brenden Sager, Jen Sansbury, Craig Schneider, Stacy Shelton, Beth Warren and Clint Williams contributed to this article.