Chapter 4: Summary & Discussion

O.C.G.A. §40-5-22(a) requires that any person under 18 years of age complete the Georgia Alcohol & Drug Awareness Program (ADAP) to obtain a Georgia driver’s license.

Chapter 1: TADRA

  • TADRA is an acronym for Georgia’s Teenage and Adult Driver Responsibility Act.
  • According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for U.S. teens, accounting for more than one in three deaths in this age group. About seven (7) teens ages 16 to 19 die everyday from motor vehicle injuries.
  • Pursuant to “Joshua’s Law,” proof of having completed an approved driver training course consisting of at least 30 hours of theoretical instruction (classroom or online) and 6 hours of practical behind-the-wheel training (instructor or parent taught) is required to obtain a Provisional License (Class D) at age 16 or 17.
  • During the first six months following the issuance of a Provisional License (Class D), only the teen driver's immediate family members may ride in the vehicle.
  • The term “immediate family member” includes the license holder’s parents and stepparents, grandparents, siblings and step-siblings, children, and any other person who resides at the license holder’s residence.
  • In Georgia, persons under 21 years of age operating a motor vehicle with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .02 or greater are presumed to be DUI, in violation of O.C.G.A. §40-6-391(k)(1).

Chapter 2: Traffic Laws and Safe Driving

  • Safety belts have proven to be the most effective occupant protection in all types of vehicle crashes.
  • Driving at high speeds or "going too fast" reduces a driver’s ability to steer safely around curves or objects in the roadway, extends the distance necessary to stop a vehicle, and limits the reaction time needed to avoid a dangerous situation.
  • The fatal crash rate of teenage drivers 16-19 years of age is about four times as high at night.
  • In Georgia, the term “passenger vehicle” means every motor vehicle, including, but not limited to, pickup trucks, vans, and sport utility vehicles designed to carry 15 passengers or fewer and used for the transportation of persons.
  • Two or more peer passengers more than triples the risk of a fatal crash with a teen behind the wheel.
  • Maintaining at least a 3-second space margin between your vehicle and the vehicle in front of you not only provides you with visibility, time, and space to help avoid rear-end crashes, but also allows you to steer or brake out of danger at moderate speeds.
  • The Hands-Free Georgia Act (O.C.G.A. §40-6-241) prohibits the use of handheld devices while driving a motor vehicle.

Chapter 3: Alcohol and Drug Awareness

  • Alcohol is used by young people in the United States more often than tobacco or illicit drugs.
  • The minimum legal drinking age in Georgia is 21.
  • Marijuana continues to be the most commonly used illicit drug among youth in the United States.
  • Georgia law bans the sale and possession of “bath salts” and K2, a substance more commonly referred to as “synthetic marijuana,” and marketed as incense.
  • In Georgia, pursuant to O.C.G.A. §40-5-75, the driver’s license of any person convicted of driving or being in actual physical control of any moving vehicle while under the influence of a controlled substance or marijuana shall be suspended by operation of law.
  • Refusal to submit to state-administered chemical tests of your blood, breath, urine, or other bodily substances for the purpose of determining if you are under the influence of alcohol or drugs will result in the suspension of your Georgia driver’s license and privilege to drive on the highways of this state for a minimum period of 1 year for each refusal.