Driving age flap may be first Barnes defeat
Legislators balk at metro-only limit 2001 GEORGIA LEGISLATURE
Kathey Pruitt - Staff
Tuesday, February 13, 2001

In a move that could mean trouble for Gov. Roy Barnes' perfect legislative record, key House lawmakers are poised to delete his proposed ban on 16-year-old unsupervised drivers in metro Atlanta from a package of highway safety provisions.

Instead of prohibiting 16-year-olds from driving without adult supervision in 18 metro Atlanta counties, as Barnes wants, a revamped version of his bill to be unveiled today by the House Motor Vehicles Committee would keep the minimum driving age at 16 statewide.

Barnes said he's still on "an educational effort" with House leaders, including Speaker Tom Murphy (D-Bremen). But the governor, who has had his way on virtually every piece of legislation introduced since taking office in 1999, acknowledged, "I don't know if the votes are there" to pass the higher metro Atlanta driving age.

"I realize there are folks who are opposed to it," Barnes said. "But this makes safety sense. This saves lives."

Rep. Bobby Parham (D-Milledgeville), who chairs the House Motor Vehicles Committee, is much more confident of his votes --- at least in committee --- to strike the provision, which he deems as an enforcement nightmare.

"I'm not so naive to think the the governor could not sway the votes against me," Parham said. "But I feel comfortable about this. The double-comfort pad came with him adding in all those other counties."

Barnes initially talked of banning solo 16-year-old drivers in at least four major metro counties. But legislation his floor leaders introduced covered 18 counties. Lawmakers in some less densely developed areas balked when it became clear that the higher driving age would cover their districts, Parham said.

Barnes declined to say Monday whether he would wage a floor fight to restore the metro Atlanta minimum driving age. He also is pushing provisions of a separate bill by members of the Senate leadership to require 40 hours of driver instruction, impose earlier nighttime driving curfews and less generous passenger restrictions for 16- and 17-year-olds, all of which may be part of the bargaining process.

The Motor Vehicles Committee has scheduled a lengthy hearing today on teen driving restrictions, but Parham says he doesn't expect a vote on Barnes' highway safety package until next week.

The committee substitute bill also revises provisions against open containers to keep the driver from being charged if he doesn't test positive for alcohol. Barnes' proposals to strengthen other DUI laws and crack down on "road rage" remain intact.

Barnes had proposed a total ban on open containers to keep the state from losing federal highway dollars. But Parham insisted the original bill would have undercut the "designated driver" program the state has tried for more than two decades to promote. Federal money wouldn't be threatened by his open container revision, he said.