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DDS COMMISSIONER AND BOARD MESSAGESCOMMISSIONER’S MESSAGEDear Parents and Teens:The Department of Driver Services (DDS) is proud to provide the 40-Hour Parent/Teen Driving Guide to prepare new drivers for their first license. For parents and guardians, we encourage you to take an active rolein educating your teen drivers and their peers, particularly by letting your good daily driving habits set theexample. You will have a significant influence on your teen’s driving decisions. Even today I often recall mydad’s advice when he was teaching me how to judge whether or not it was safe to make a turn into oncomingtraffic. He would say, “If you have to ask yourself whether or not you can make it safely, that automaticallymeans that you can’t. Wait until there is no question in your own mind.”As you study this guide, parents and guardians should remember to focus on critical driving skills. A recentstudy by the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Research Institute found that 75 percent of all teen drivercrashes resulted from three common mistakes. First, driving too fast which includes not only speeding, butalso driving too fast for certain conditions such as construction zones or neighborhood streets. Second isdriving while distracted, perhaps by a cellphone, peer passengers, or something outside of the vehicle. Coachteens to avoid looking away from the road for more than two seconds. Third is failing to recognize or reactto a hazard, which means we should be observing our surroundings far ahead of the vehicle being driven.Parents and guardians are encouraged to have a plan when teaching a teen to drive. For example, afteryour teen has mastered the basics, you may want to practice on progressively more challenging roads,during a rain shower, or at night. Finally, parents and guardians are reminded that driving practice can straincommunications. Adults are well advised to stay calm when your teen is behind the wheel. If you can avoidpanicking and sounding critical during the rough spots, your teen is more likely to stay positive and to followyour instructions.Thank you, and please visit our Facebook account or www.dds.ga.gov if you have a licensing question orneed a service.Sincerely,Rob MikellCommissionerBOARD OF DIRECTORS’ MESSAGEBoard of DirectorsTrummie L. Patrick, Jr.ChairLynda CokerVice-ChairJeff WigingtonSecretaryDavid W. Connell – MemberTodd Cowan – MemberVirginia Galloway – MemberAnthony Heath – MemberCarolyn Roddy – MemberThe Department of Driver Services (DDS) Board of Directors wouldlike to remind our customers that driving in Georgia is a privilegethat carries many responsibilities. Please strive to become a safeand dependable driver to ensure that this privilege will not be lost.This manual has two main purposes:(1) to help you qualify for a Georgia driver’s license; and(2) to help you become a safer driver.DDS MISSION STATEMENTTo foster the prosperity of our citizens and businesses by facilitating the safe transportation of people and products onGeorgia’s roads while safeguarding the integrity of our servicesand instilling values that demonstrate “We C.A.R.E.”Values – “We C.A.R.E.”CommunicationProvide information in a consistent, courteous manner.RespectListen attentively and assist customers in a timely and professional manner.AccountabilityEmpower team members andmeasure our performance.NT OF DRIVERGEORGIA DEPARTMESERVICES2014DRIVERSMANUALREVISE01D 7/1/24EthicsDemonstrate integrity and honesty in our actions and decisions.GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF DRIVER SERVICES2014COMMERCIALDRIVERS MANUALR EVI S E D 6/1/2014GEORGIA2014DEPARTMENMOTOROPERATT OF DRIVERREVISED7/1/22015DEPARTMENT014REVIthecover withScan thisGEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF DRIVER SERVICESOF DRIVERSERVICES40-HOURPARENT/TEENDRIVINGGUORS MANUALThis guide is designed to provide parents and teens with informationto obtain a Class D license. Other manuals are available for commercial drivers, noncommercial drivers, and motorcycle operators.GEORGIASERVICESCYCLE2014ALCOHOL & DRUGAWARENESS PROGRAM (ADAP)STUDENT MANUALR E VI S E D 9/1/2014IDESED1/1/2015mobile content.App to accessScanthis coverwith theApp toaccessScanmobilecontent.2015 GEORGIA 40-HOUR PARENT/TEEN DRIVING GUIDEthis coverScan this cover with thewith theApp toaccessmobileApp to access mobile content.content.3

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSDEPUTY COMMISSIONER’S MESSAGEInstructions For Completing the40-Hour Parent/Teen Driving GuideDear Parents and Future Drivers,So many aspects of a teenager’s life are unpredictable, such as which path to follow and what to becomein life. We do know that the ability to drive is needed in order to follow whichever path is chosen. A gooddriving education, along with practice and experience behind the wheel, will provide the best protectionagainst teen driving fatalities.DDS has prepared The 40-Hour Parent Teen Driving Guide to provide the tools you will need to be a safedriver while fulfilling the road skills portion of the teen driver education requirement.Georgia requires that all sixteen (16)-year-olds complete an approved driver training program in order toobtain a Class D license, or they must wait until age seventeen (17). This Guide is a comprehensive programthat can be used in conjunction with a 30-hour virtual program or 30-hour classroom program to meet therequirements for completion of an approved driver training program.Please read the Guide carefully and follow the directions. All sessions must be completed prior to takingthe road skills test. A Driving Experience Affidavit (DDS-7) must be completed at DDS affirming the applicant has a minimum of 40 hours of driving, 6 of which must be at night. Teens without the required 40hours will not be tested.If you have specific questions about information included in the 40-Hour Parent/Teen Driving Guide, pleasevisit the DDS website at www.dds.ga.gov, or visit www.gateendrivereducation.com and submit your questions via the “Ask Teen Driver” email.Best of luck and safe driving!Sincerely,Spencer R. MooreDeputy Commissioner40-Hour Parent/TeenDriving GuideThe Georgia Department of Driver Services(DDS) wishes to gratefully acknowledge thecontributions, information, and materials provided as a part of the “40-Hour Parent/TeenDriving Guide” (Guide) by the Virginia Department of Education.The guide is made available as a publicservice, without express or implied warranties of any kind and DDS expressly disclaims liability for errors and omissionsin the guide. The following notices anddisclaimers also apply: DDS has compiled the materials for theGUIDE exclusively for its noncommercial,nonprofit, educational use. Any review oruse of the GUIDE is limited exclusively tononcommercial, educational review, and thecontents of the GUIDE may not be used forany commercial purposes. Certain materials and information includedwithin DDS’s GUIDE are protected by UnitedStates and foreign copyright, trademark andother intellectual property laws. The materialand information included within the GUIDEis the property of DDS, the Virginia Department of Education, or other parties, and DDSand such other parties each have the right toenforce their rights therein. DDS has either obtained or is in the process ofobtaining the necessary permissions, rights,4assignments, or licenses for those materials that DDS does not already own. Becausethe copyrights or other intellectual propertyrights of certain materials may be held bythird parties other than DDS, any personswishing to copy, use, disseminate, modify orotherwise do anything with the GUIDE arehereby placed on notice that the followingactivities may constitute a violation of therights of the copyright or other intellectualproperty rights of such other owners, forwhich DDS expressly disclaims any and allliability. Until all necessary rights have beenobtained, possession, use and copying ofthe GUIDE will be limited to the rights DDSowns, has obtained or has been granted, therights granted under the fair use doctrine andother provisions of the Copyright, intellectualproperty and other laws of the United Statesand the State of Georgia, and the rights andobligations imposed by the open meetingsand open records laws of the State of Georgia. No person or entity may modify, copy, reproduce, republish, upload, post, distribute,broadcast, transmit, retransmit, display, perform, publish, license, create derivative worksof, transfer, sell, or resell the GUIDE in wholeor in part or in any way without the prior,express, written permission of the ownerthereof, and one cannot assume that DDS isthe owner in every instance. Any copyright,trademark, and other notices must remainintact. Unauthorized use of the logos, designsand trademarks of DDS or other third partiesis not permitted. Nor may any person or entity in any way violate the copyright or otherintellectual property rights of DDS or anyprovider of information, content, productsor services to the GUIDE. Any commercial, for-profit or other unauthorized use of these materials owned bythird parties without the express writtenpermission of such third party and DDSmay be actionable and is not authorized.Neither DDS nor its contributors shall beheld liable for any improper or incorrect useof the materials and information describedand/or contained in the GUIDE and DDS orits contributors assumes no responsibilityfor anyone’s use of, or actions with respectto, the GUIDE or materials and informationcontained therein. Since the GUIDE contains content that issupplied by third parties, any opinions,advice, statements, services, offers, or otherinformation or content expressed or madeavailable by third parties, including information providers, users, or others, are thoseof the respective authors or owners and donot necessarily state or reflect those of DDS. All GUIDE materials and information areprovided “AS IS” without warranty of anykind. DDS makes no representations and, tothe fullest extent allowed by law, disclaimsall warranties, express or implied, including,but not limited to warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose2015 GEORGIA 40-HOUR PARENT/TEEN DRIVING GUIDE

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSregarding the accuracy, reliability, suitability, completeness or timeliness of any itemscontained within the GUIDE.PARENTING THE DRIVINGEXPERIENCE Neither DDS nor its contributors shall be heldliable for any improper or incorrect use of theinformation described and/or contained inthe GUIDE, and DDS assumes no responsibility for anyone’s use of the GUIDE or information contained therein. In no event will DDS or its contributors beliable for any damages whatsoever arisingout of the use or inability to use the GUIDEor any items or information contained thereineven if advised of the possibility of such damages. In no event shall DDS or its contributorsbe liable for any direct, indirect, incidental,special, exemplary, or consequential damages(including, but not limited to, procurement ofsubstitute goods or services; loss of use, data,or profits; or business interruption) howevercaused and on any theory of liability, whetherin contract, strict liability, or tort (includingnegligence or otherwise), arising in any wayout of the possession or use of the GUIDE evenif advised of the possibility of such damage. DDS does not endorse individual vendors,products or services. Reference herein or inthe GUIDE to any specific commercial products, processes, or services by trade name,trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise, orthe use of any trade, firm, or corporationname, does not constitute or imply DDS’sendorsement, recommendation, approval orfavoring by DDS, and such reference shall notbe used for advertising or product endorsement purposes. In the State of Georgia, laws exist to ensurethat government is open and that the publichas a right to access appropriate records andinformation possessed by state government.At the same time, there are exceptions to thepublic’s right to access public records. Theseexceptions serve various needs, includingmaintaining the privacy of individuals. Bothstate and federal laws provide exceptions. TheGUIDE is expressly subject to the open recordsand open meetings laws of the State of Georgia. Anyone doing anything with the GUIDEagrees to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless DDS and its contributors and their respective directors, officers, employees, and agentsfrom and against all claims and expenses, including attorneys’ fees, arising out of the possession, copying or other use of the GUIDE bysuch user or for such user’s account.All requests or questions with respect to theGUIDE should be sent to: Georgia Department ofDriver Services, Regulatory Compliance Division,2206 East View Parkway, Conyers, Georgia 30013.Your teen has reached an important milestone; a LEARNER’S PERMIT. It is our hopethat acquiring mature driving skills and judgment will be a rewarding experience for youand your teenager. With your involvement, itcan also be a safe experience. This 40-hourparent/teen driving guide provides suggestions for in-car lessons to help you assist yourteen in making this step to adulthood moresuccessful for both of you.How do you teach a 16-year-old not tobe a 16-year-old behind the wheel of an automobile? Unfortunately, there is no magicformula to prepare your teenager for theresponsibilities of driving. Driver educationat its best is a team effort involving schools,communities, students, and families.Cars do not crash; people crash them.In2011, there were 159 roadway fatalities inGeorgia among persons ages 15–20. Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause ofdeath of teens in the United States (basedon the latest mortality data currently available from the National Center for HealthStatistics). In 2011, 2,650 16 to 19 year olddrivers were killed and 292,000 were injuredin motor vehicle crashes nationally.The Teenage & Adult Driver Responsibility Act (TADRA) was established in Georgiaby a collaborative effort of highway safetyadvocates, legislators, law enforcement officials, educators, businesses and media inthe wake of a high number of fatal vehiclecrashes involving young, inexperienced drivers. TADRA involves an intense, three-stepeducation process that allows the youngdriver to gain more experience behind thewheel. Additionally, it also requires that priorto the issuance of a Class D license youmust have completed a cumulative total ofat least forty (40) hours of other superviseddriving experience, including at least six (6)hours at night.All 16-year-olds applying for a Class Ddriver’s license must complete an approveddriver education course and complete a totalof 40 hours of supervised driving, 6 hoursof which must be at night, with a parent orguardian’s sworn verification that these requirements have been met. Any Georgiaresident who has not completed an approved driver education course must be atleast 17 years old to be eligible for a ClassD driver’s license and he or she must havecompleted a total of at least 40 hours ofsupervised driving, including at least 6 hoursat night. The same verification in writing by aparent or guardian is required. This manualis designed to help you achieve the requireddriving experience to qualify for a Class Ddriver’s license.The ability to move a car skillfully is notthe same thing as the ability to drive safely.Steering the vehicle is a relatively simpleskill that most people can master in a shortperiod of time. Driving is a complex taskrequiring mastery of various performanceskills. It requires processing and accuratelyevaluating risk in the driving environment,developing appropriate responses to minimize risk, and gaining experience to predictwhat action others may take.This technical assistance guide providesyou with a systematic approach to guide yourteen towards remaining collision-free in bothlow- and high-risk driving environments. Thesuggested lessons in this guide follow a sequential learning pattern that progressesfrom the parking lot to neighborhoods, tolight traffic, to rural highways, to expressways and then to city driving. Each lessonprovides you with an estimated amount oftime the teen will need to achieve mastery;however, because teens have different abilities and learning styles you need to spend asmuch time as necessary to allow your teento master the skills before moving on to thenext lesson. Research shows that in orderfor young drivers to remain collision-free,parents must model safe driving behaviorsand invest in meaningful guided practiceover a long period of time to turn these skillsinto good driving habits!If neither parent has a valid driver’s license, a friend or relative can conduct theguided practice sessions. Because parentsand guardians play such a significant rolein the development of safe driving habits,parents should remain involved in the learning process as observers in the car duringthe guided practice sessions. Knowing yourteen is a skilled, safety-conscious driver willgive you peace of mind in the years to come.In addition to sharpening your drivingskills, it is our hope the guided practice sessions presented in this guide will provideyour teen with a solid foundation to developsafe, collision-free driving habits that willlast a lifetime.2015 GEORGIA 40-HOUR PARENT/TEEN DRIVING GUIDE5

INTRODUCTIONTeenage & Adult DriverResponsibility Act (TADRA)SECURE IDsThe Teenage and Adult Driver Responsibility Act (TADRA) was enacted on July 1, 1997.TADRA established a graduated driver’s licenseprogram for young drivers ages 15 to 18 in Georgia. This act directly addresses the leading killerof our young people – traffic crashes. The lawsignificantly changes the way young motoristsearn and maintain the privilege of driving byproviding a controlled means for new driversto gain experience, and by reducing high-riskdriving situations. While the law does focus onyoung drivers, it also contains important provisions that affect drivers over 21, particularly inthe area of DUI prevention and enforcement.TADRA involves an intense, three-step education process that allows the young driver togain more experience behind the wheel:Since July 1, 2012, the DDS has implemented additional procedures that enhance theintegrity and security of your Driver’s License (DL) and Identification Card (ID). These newprocedures will require that you bring additional documentation with you when you visit oneof our Customer Service Centers.To assist you with collecting your documents, the DDS has created a Checklist Wizard at thefollowing website that will allow you to print a custom checklist of your documents or you maychoose to print the full list of acceptable documents: http://www.dds.ga.gov/secureid/index.aspxStep One – Learner’s Permit(Class CP) You must have held a Learner’s Permit (ClassCP) for a minimum of one year and a day.Your permit must also be surrendered at thetime of testing. You must not have been convicted of anytraffic violations that prohibit issuance of aClass D.Class CP license fee – 10.00Payable in cash, money order, check or creditcard You must have completed a minimum of 40hours of supervised driving experien

valuable time and money. DDS does not charge an additional fee for choosing Internet Services. A 5.00 discount may apply for eligible license types that are renewed on the internet. DDS INTERNET SERVICES For more information visit the DDS website at: www.dds.ga.gov and like DDS on Facebook! VICES INCLUDE Account ime