Driving+Age

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Driving Age: Should we raise it? ======

Maggie Sinkler and Carly Herbert
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The current piece of legislation involving the driving law in Georgia is called TADRA, The Teenage and Adult Driver Responsibility Act (aka Josheph's Law). This act involves a procedure for a Georgian to achieve a license. It is trying to increase safety for teen drivers.======


 * 1) ======Obtain a learner’s permit (Class CP license) and hold it for one year and one day.======
 * 2) ======Complete a driver's education course.======
 * 3) ======Complete 40 hours of behind the wheel driving experience, six of which must be at night.======
 * 4) ======Complete the Alcohol and Drug Awareness Program (ADAP).======
 * 5) ======Obtain an intermediate license (Class D license) and hold it for until you’re 18 and can apply for your full Class C license.======

Georgia's laws about their state license's are similar to many other states, but some differ. New Jersey was the first of the states to raise the age to seventeen, and some states like South Dakota the age is fourteen and a half.

Linking Staying in School to Driver's License:

 * In Georgia, When applying for an instructional permit, the teen driver must have their application signed by a parent or legal guardian. The applicant must also have a “Georgia DDS Certificate of Attendance” from their school. Any teen applicant under the age of 18 must provide this certificate of attendance or bring proof of graduation such as a High School Diploma or GED.
 * If the teen applicant (under 18) for the instructional permit has left school without graduation, has conduct infractions, or has a total of 10 unexcused absences from school they will not be allowed to apply for the instructional permit.
 * Other states also have started linking school attendance to driver's license. These states make you show a school ID or a diploma.

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 * In the United States during 2005, 4,544 teens ages 16 to 19 died of injuries caused by motor vehicle crashes.
 * The number of crashes is also related to teens drinking while driving. Male drivers between 15 and 20 years of age who were involved in crashes in 2005, 38% were speeding at the time of the crash and 24% had been drinking.In a national survey conducted in 2005, nearly three out of ten teens said that within the last month, they had ridden with a driver who had been drinking alcohol. One in ten reported having driven after drinking alcohol within the month period.
 * In 2005, three out of four teen drivers killed in motor vehicle crashes after drinking and driving were not wearing a seat belt.
 * 16 year-olds have higher crash rates than drivers of any other age . - 
 * 16-year-olds are three times more likely to die in a motor vehicle crash than the average of all drivers.
 * 77% of teen crashes involved avoidable driver errors
 * Only about 20 percent of teen driving occurred at night, but approximately 50 percent of teen fatalities (those occurring with a teenager at the wheel) occurred during the hours of darkness.
 * Two teens in a car increases the likelihood of a crash by 86 percent, three teens by 182 percent, according to research conducted by Johns Hopkins University.

**Videos: **
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