Graduated driver licensing in Georgia: The impact of the Teenage and Adult Driver Responsibility Act (TADRA)

Abstract

Georgia’s Teenage and Adult Driver Responsibility Act (TADRA) was enacted in July 1997 and strengthened in 2001. In addition to introducing the concept of graduated driver licensing (GDL) for 16-year-old drivers, TADRA imposed additional restrictions on drivers up to age 18. These provisions included “zero tolerance” for Driving Under the Influence (DUI) involving underage drivers and automatic license revocation for excessive speeding and other dangerous driving behaviors. To evaluate TADRA, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration established a cooperative agreement with Emory University. The evaluation compared fatal crash data during the five and a half years before the enactment of TADRA to fatal crash data during the five and a half years after enactment. To control for regional and historical effects, TADRA’s impact in Georgia was compared to adjoining States that did not enact GDL laws during the same period.\n