Referring to the six Georgia teens killed in motor vehicle accidents over the weekend (and 10 in the last eight days), the governor said teens need to be older, have more experience and be under stricter curfews before driving alone.

The governor also told the crowd that using cell phones while driving is dangerous, not only for them but for adults, too.

"In my day we were lucky if we just had AM radio," he said . "Nobody dreamed of driving while talking on the phone."

Both Tucker and Lakeside High Schools have been chosen to represent Atlanta in the newly launched Georgia-Pacific Teen Safety 500, a program that rewards teenagers and their schools for safe driving.

The goal, said Georgia-Pacific Chairman and CEO A. D. "Pete" Correll, is for each teen who signs up on Georgia-Pacific's web site, to drive 500 miles without an accident or traffic violation over the next five weeks.

North Carolina, Delaware and Virginia are also participating in the program, which has an overall goal of one million accident and violation-free miles for students who participate.

Also at today's kickoff were racing's seven-time Winston Cup winner Richard Petty, Georgia-born NASCAR driver Buckshot Jones and Gary Butler, regional program manager of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.