Metro teen driving limits axed
Legislators reject curbing 16-year-olds
Kathey Pruitt - Staff
Wednesday, February 21, 2001

In a setback to Gov. Roy Barnes' push for stronger teen driving laws, a House committee on Tuesday rejected a proposed 18-county no-drive zone for unsupervised 16-year-olds in metro Atlanta.

House leaders said the provision would unfairly penalize good 16-year-old drivers and would be nearly impossible for police to enforce.

But they promised to strengthen a Senate bill that imposes nighttime driving curfews and passenger limitations, and that requires more driver training.

"I don't like to pass laws just to make people feel good when they actually do nothing," said House Motor Vehicles Committee chairman Bobby Parham (D-Milledgeville), who revised the governor's bill to leave the driving age at 16 statewide.

Parham said rural areas have a higher teen driver accident rate, accounting for nearly two-thirds of the fatal teen driving accidents in the past four years, than the counties Barnes was targeting with his proposal.

With the governor's blessing, the committee also revised the bill's zero-tolerance ban on open alcohol containers in a private vehicle.

The committee's unanimous vote deleting the 17-year-old minimum driving age in metro Atlanta is the first significant blow to Barnes in the current legislative session. And it could foreshadow the governor's first policy defeat in the three sessions since his election.

Barnes' legislative supporters were not willing to give up on the proposal, which they say tackles teen driving problems in an area with the highest total number of teen driving deaths --- fast-growing counties around Atlanta's core.

"I would say it's a temporary setback," said Rep. Charlie Smith (D-St. Marys), Barnes' point man in the House. "We've gotten significant support among folks whose lives may be endangered by (lawmakers) not taking any action. A number of lawmakers are supportive of the provision."

Apparently not enough lawmakers, at least in the state House, where Speaker Tom Murphy (D-Bremen), a longtime Barnes supporter, has voiced his opposition. Barnes' office virtually conceded as much Tuesday, saying they hope the provision can be restored in the Senate. A vote by the full House is expected within days.

Still, Barnes is accustomed to getting what he wants. A perfect legislative track record in his first two years in office is evidence of his skillful handling of opposition to major initiatives, from the way managed health care companies operate to who plans and enforces transportation policy for metro Atlanta.

And Barnes got much of what he sought from the House committee Tuesday on other highway safety provisions in the bill, HB 385: an automatic drunken driving charge on a .08 blood alcohol count rather than the current .10 level, and establishment of a new crime of aggressive driving, or road rage, that targets reckless driving meant to intimidate other motorists.

Toughening penalties for having open containers of alcohol in private vehicles also passed the committee, but with changes to keep drivers from being charged if they haven't consumed alcohol. The tighter provisions are necessary if the state is to avoid losing $218 million in federal transportation funds over the next five years.

If Barnes can salvage all or part of his plan to raise the unsupervised driving age to 17 in the 18 metro Atlanta counties, it wouldn't be the first time a part of his agenda was altered in committee, only to reach final approval nearly intact.

House leaders say Barnes has his people polling representatives to gauge support for a scaled-down no-drive zone for unsupervised 16-year-olds in Cobb, DeKalb, Fulton and Gwinnett counties.

"I think they are willing to cut the number (of counties) down," Parham said. "I don't think the governor's about to give up. He's too shrewd a political engineer."

Meanwhile, the House Motor Vehicles Committee turns its attention to another key teenage driving package --- one that driver safety advocates say will make more of a difference than raising the driving age in metro Atlanta. A pending Senate bill, with Barnes' proposals for longer nighttime driving curfews and stricter passenger limits, is expected to be up for a committee vote next week.

Parham said Tuesday he expects to relax the proposed 10 p.m. curfew for 16-year-olds proposed in SB1. But he said he plans to strengthen other parts of the bill, which also addresses driver's license road tests and driver training.

BARNES' LEGISLATION
Would keep the solo driving age at 16 statewide.
Would exempt drivers who haven't been drinking from liability for open alcohol containers found in cars.
BOTH VERSIONS
Would lower the presumed level of intoxication for drivers to .08 percent blood alcohol from the current .10 percent.
Would establish a new criminal charge, aggressive driving.
WHAT'S NEXT
The bill goes to the full House for a vote.
The House Motor Vehicles Committee begins considering a Senate-approved teen driving bill that would impose stricter curfews and more stringent training requirements for young drivers, and limit the number of passengers they may transport.