Training, driving hours, passenger limits in works in new legislation. Kathey Pruitt - Staff Saturday, December 2, 2000 Georgia teenagers would have to undergo 40 hours of driver training and prove their skills under real traffic conditions before getting a driver's license, under legislation announced Friday by Lt. Gov. Mark Taylor. Sixteen- and 17-year-olds would be banned from driving between midnight and 6 a.m., and 16-year-olds could have only one unrelated teenage passenger in the vehicle with them under a proposal from Taylor and Sen. Phil Gingrey (R-Marietta). Taylor said he also has asked the Georgia Department of Public Safety to make the written driving exam tougher for young drivers. He is the first statewide official to outline specific proposals for stronger teen driving laws this year, adding clout to the yearly legislative quest to curb teenage accidents and fatalities on Georgia's highways. "I'm hopeful that in the end this piece of legislation will be amended to increase the driving age to 17," Taylor said. But "I don't think the votes are there right now." For now, Taylor and Gingrey say making all teenagers get more experience before they get behind the wheel may be the easiest way for lawmakers to reduce accidents involving teen drivers. So far this year, at least 22 deaths in metro Atlanta have stemmed from such accidents.. If the legislation passes, driver's ed --- including night-driving training --- from an accredited course or from a parent with a signed affidavit, would be required for a license. Eight metro Atlanta driver's license stations and 10 others statewide that test on a course set up in a parking lot would begin testing young drivers on the road under the proposal. Thirty-one other sites already use on-road tests. The parking lot course "is not a real test that's comparable to what you face in metro Atlanta," said Taylor, who proposes $1.2 million for 50 new license examiners Expanding the existing 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. teen driving curfew may spark the most controversy. Now, teens have exemptions for school, church or work-related driving that would be eliminated by the Taylor-Gingrey bill. "It would be tough if you have kids going to football games and church outings," said House Majority Whip Jimmy Skipper (D-Americus). Gov. Roy Barnes has said he's considering increasing the driving
age and requiring driver's education, but he declined Friday to
address specifics of Taylor's plan. "We have all got to do
everything we can to prevent teen driving deaths," Barnes said.
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