Driving and Instruction Permit

Amanda Haymons February 10, 2012 Case Number: 107-11J-1127
“Teenage and Adult Responsibility Act” Teenage and Adult Responsibility Act is often abbreviated to TADRA. TADRA is a driver licensing program for teenagers between the ages of 15-18. Although, teenage driving is the main focus of TADRA it also affects drivers 21 and over. The provisions of TADRA for drivers over the age of 21 are apparent in situations involving a DUI. This program was established in Georgia. The goal of TADRA is to help improve the safety of Georgia Roads. TADRA addresses the leading cause of all youth deaths, traffic accidents. It makes the process of obtaining a license slightly more difficult. TADRA requires youth drivers to go through many obstacles, and acquire more knowledge before obtaining a license. The Instruction Permit is step one to obtaining a license. The instruction permit is considered class CP. The instruction permit is also referred to as a “learner’s permit”. In order to attain an instruction permit there is a requirement of fifteen years of age. If under the age of eighteen the applicant must be enrolled in school, have no more than 10 unexcused absences, or any other altercations involving the law. Another requirement is the ability to pass a written exam. The written exam consists of road rules and questions involving road signs. The applicant also must pass a vision exam. There is a fee of ten dollars in order to take the exam, regardless of if it is passed or failed. After obtaining an instruction permit, the permit holder must only drive while accompanied by an adult 21 years of age or older. The adult must also possess a Class C driver’s license. The fifteen year old is required to have the instruction permit for a minimum of a year and one day unless he/she is eighteen years of age. Different rules will apply to the applicant if he/she is over the age of eighteen. The intermediate license is step two of the three-step process in TADRA, the intermediate license is Class D. In order to obtain an intermediate license the applicant must be between sixteen and eighteen years of age. A certificate of attendance from the school of he/she is required. The applicant is also required to have been in possession of an instructional permit for a year and one day. A driving test is also a requirement in the process of obtaining an intermediate license. The driving test involves having mastered the basic driving skills. An employee of the DDS will ride around a certain area with the applicant and judge if they are capable of driving without an adult present. If the applicant is sixteen years or under there are additional requirements before they can acquire an intermediate license. All conditions must be met before an intermediate license will be issued.
The Alcohol and Drug Awareness Program, also referred to as ADAP, is a test that must be passed in order to receive an intermediate license. The ADAP program is offered in health class at most Georgia public high schools. The ADAP program focuses on learning about driving under the influence, the consequences of driving under the influence, and much more. The ADAP program is a way of informing Georgia’s youth about the dangers of drugs and alcohol. Joshua’s Law is an additional requirement for those applicants 16 and under trying to obtain their Class D driver’s license. Joshua’s law went into effect January 1, 2007. The program consists of a thirty hour driver education course approved by the Department of Driver Services. The driver’s education course can be completed online with an approved class or at an approved school. The applicant must also have 40 documented hours of supervised driving; six of those forty must be at night. A parent/guardian over the age of 21 is required to sign off that the driving requirements were met. A certificate of completion must be presented at the time of appointment. If the applicant is over the age of seventeen Joshua’s Law is not a requirement. The intermediate license has many restrictions. When the license is issued the license holder has many conditions they must agree too. The license holder has a curfew of 12:00 a.m. and cannot leave their house before 6:00 a.m. Those hours are non-comprisable, there are no exceptions regarding the curfew. After the license is issued, the applicant is only allowed to have immediate family in the car with them for the first six months. During the second six months only one non-family member is allowed in the car with the driver. Following the first and second six month periods, only three passengers under the age of 21 that are not immediate family are allowed in the car. Another necessity to keep the Class D intermediate license is enrollment in a high school, and regular attendance. The third step for TADRA is a full license. A full license is considered a Class C license. The full license comes with less restrictions and much more freedom. The license is granted to drivers ages eighteen and over. In order to obtain a full license the applicant must have no serious traffic violations within the past year. Serious traffic violations include DUI, eluding a police office, drag racing, reckless driving, a hit and run, or any violation that exceeds four points on the driver’s license. Driving is considered a privilege and the license can be removed from the license holder at any time.
The Teenage and Adult Responsibility Act has very firm rules about cell phones. Any license holder under the age of eighteen is forbidden to operate any wireless device while in the car. This restriction includes texting, talking on the phone, computer, and many more. The law states anyone under the age of eighteen should not be using any wireless device used to communicate with another person. If the license holder is convicted of anything involving a wireless device it will result in one point on their driving record. A violation of the Teenage and Adult Responsibility Act is taken very seriously within the court system in Georgia. Alcohol consumption is a huge violation of TADRA. The punishment for alcohol consumption when you are under the age of 21 is extreme. The first offense is when the blood-alcohol content is below .08%. If the driver is under the age of 21 they will be convicted of a DUI if their blood level exceeds .02%. The consequences for the first offense DUI include suspension of driver’s license for six months, attendance at a DUI school, and twenty hours of community service. If the first offense is .08% or more the consequences are more extreme. The consequences consist of serving twenty-four hours in jail, forty hours community service, and license suspension for a minimum of twelve months. If a second time offender is above the age of twenty-one their license will suspended for a minimum of eighteen months, thirty days of community service, seventy-two hours in jail, clinical evaluation/treatment, and all license plates in offenders name must be handed over to the court. Every person convicted of a DUI will be subject to heavy fines. The fines start at a thousand dollars, second time offenders will be subject to much higher fines. Driving under the influence is taken very seriously in Georgia. When people choose to drive under the influence they could be causing harm to every other person on the road.
The Teenage and Adult Driver Responsibility Act was enacted on July 1, 1997. The goal of TADRA was to make the roads in Georgia safer. Teenage drivers, ages 16-17, had more vehicle fatalities than any other age group. TAFTA helped cause an extreme decrease in teenage accidents. TAFTA has saved many lives since it came out in 1997 and it keeps improving road conditions for drivers everywhere. It brings about awareness worldwide involving reckless driving, driving under the influence, cell phone usage, and an abundance of other things.