The Governor of Georgia, Brian Kemp, has recently opened up businesses but because the streets and highways are empty he has given an executive order to let teenagers get their license without taking a road course test.
This is terrifying. These kids will be able to get their provisional license with a note from their parents. Most of these parents can't even drive themselves! But because the death rate on the roadways is less than that of last year it is okay. It makes no sense and it is extremely perilous what Kemp is doing.
According to The Daily Mail:
Commissioner of the state’s Department of Driver Services Spencer Moore said that the agency has a backlog of 30,000 applicants. On average the department has 5,000 teens taking the driving test a week.
Due to lockdowns, Georgia’s streets have been eerily empty and devoid of its usual traffic.
Data from the Georgia Department of Transportation shows that the number of deaths caused by traffic accidents and number of cars on the road is lower this spring than it was this time last year.
In March 2019, 143 people in Georgia were killed in car accidents on interstates. Numbers for March 2020 show that the figure was 12.6 percent lower with 125 deaths, as per the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Vehicle volume on Georgia interstates also dropped by 44 percent from March 11, 2020 – the day the WHO declared COVID-19 a global pandemic – compared to the same day last year.
Non-interstate roads saw 45 percent less traffic in March 2020 than last year.
However, police are noting an increase in speeding tickets as reckless drivers speed up on the empty highways.
Sandy Springs police ticketed more than 60 drivers for exceeding 100mph on GA Interstate 400 or Interstate 285, where the speed limit is 65mph, over the past month as per Fox5.
This act is going to harm more people then it will make a 16-year-old happy to get their license. They just need to wait until they can get proper testing to be on the roads.
This is an act to get more money for tickets and deaths sadly.