Tough Love: An Evaluation of Georgia's TADRA Graduated Drivers License

Tough Love: An Evaluation of Georgia's TADRA Graduated Drivers License Law

In July of 1997, Georgia Law introduced the concept of graduated driver's licensing for 16-year old drivers and imposed additional restrictions on drivers up to 18 years old. The Teenage and Adult Driver Responsibility Act, known as TADRA, directly addresses the leading killer of young people in the State of Georgia. TADRA requies three licensing stages with limits on unsupervised driving at night and transporting teenage passengers for beginners, limited unsupervised driving in high risk situations for intermediate drivers, then grants expanded privileges for young drivers after successful completion of the first two stages and passing a drivers test.

On March 22, 2005, Governor Sonny Perdue and a host of elected and medical leaders from across Georgia held an event to go over and praise recently released research on the effectiveness of TADRA. Quoting his study on the matter, Dr. Arthur Kellerman of Emory University reported that during the first 5 and 1/2 years after TADRA was enacted:

There was a 36.8 percent decrease in the rate of driver fatal crashes for 16 year olds
Post enactment, the fatal crash rate for Georgia drivers aged 16 was only 12.8 percent higher than the rate of fatal crashes involving Georgia drivers aged 25 and above
Unsafe and illegal speed related fatal crashes involving 16 year old drivers declined nearly 42 percent
With the exception of 18 year old drivers, fatal crash rates declined in all age groups below age 25
Georgians who turned 16 after enactment of TADRA (and reached the age of 21 in 2002) experienced a fatal crash rate 38 percent lower than that recorded by 21 year old drivers in 1997--the year that TADRA went into effect. Georgia drivers who turned 21 in 2002 and were subsequently involved in a fatal crash were less likely to have a prior record of speeding, less likely to have been convicted of DUI, and less likely to have a license suspended for hazardous driving than Georgia drivers who turned 21 in 1997. These observations suggest, but do not prove, that TADRA has lasting effects on driver behavior.

Below are some photographs, movies, and commentary from the March 22nd event. GOHS thanks everyone who made this event a success and who have worked hard to save teens lives via programs such as TADRA. Special thanks goes out to Dr. Andy Agwunobi from Grady Hospital, State Senator Brian Kemp from Athens, State Representative Burke Day from Tybee Island and Meghan Callahan (SADD President of Independence High School) for also speaking at the event.