Georgia
Below is a list of the key highway safety laws in Georgia. For more information, contact the Georgia Governor's Office of Highway Safety.
| Aggressive Driver Actions | Comments |
| Intent to annoy, harass, molest, intimidate, injure or obstruct another person, while doing one or more of the following: overtaking and passing another vehicle; violating traffic lane markings; following too closely; violating signal, lane change, slowing or stopping laws; impeding traffic flows; reckless driving. | |
Sources: National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) and State Highway Safety Offices.
| Handheld Ban | All Cell Phone Ban | Text Messaging Ban | Crash Data |
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| School Bus Drivers | Novice Drivers | All Drivers | School Bus Drivers | Novice Drivers | |||||
| Yes (Primary) |
Yes | ||||||||
Sources: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and State Highway Safety Offices.
| Child Restraint Required unless indicated, # refers to Yrs.(Lbs.) |
Adult Safety Belt Permissible unless indicated, # refers to Yrs.(Lbs.) |
Maximum Fine 1st Offense |
| <5 (and <57") in rear seat if available | >57"; >40 lbs. can use lap belt if lap/shoulder belt unavailable | $50 + points |
Sources: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and State Highway Safety Offices.
| Per Se Laws for Drugs (Forbidding Prohibited Substances in Driver's Body) | DEC/DRE Programs (Providing Law Enforcement Training) |
| Yes | Yes |
Source: State Highway Safety Offices.
| Admin. License Suspen- sion on 1st Offense |
Limited Driving Privileges During Suspension | Inc. Penalty for High BAC | Open Container Laws | Repeat Offender Laws | Vehicle and License Plate Sanctions | Ignition Interlocks | Alcohol Exclusion Laws Limiting Treatment Opportunity | |
| 1 year | Yes | .15 | Yes | Yes | Vehicle confiscation | Discretion- ary |
Yes | |
Sources: Ensuring Solutions to Alcohol Problems, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) and State Highway Safety Offices.
| Learner Stage | Intermediate Stage | Full Privilege Min. Age (Yrs./Mos.) |
Required Supervised Driving Hours (Night Hours) |
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| Min. Age (Yrs./ Mos.) |
Min. Dura- tion (Mos.) |
Min. Age (Yrs./Mos.) |
Night- time Driving Restriction |
Passenger Restriction* (* family members exempt) |
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| 15 | 12 | 16 | Midnight - 6 a.m. | First 6 mos.–no pass.; second 6 mos.–no more than 1 pass. <21*; thereafter–no more than 3 pass. | 18 | 40 (6) | |
Sources: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and State Highway Safety Offices.
| Motorcyclists | Bicyclists | ||
| Universal Helmet Law (Year Enacted) | Partial Law | Universal Helmet Law Repealed | |
| 1969 | <16 | ||
Sources: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and State Highway Safety Offices.
| Length of Regular Renewal Cycle (Yrs.) | Provisions for Mature Drivers |
| 5 or 10; veterans valid until 65 yrs. | 5 yrs. for >60; no renewal by mail and vision test for >64 |
Sources: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and State Highway Safety Offices.
| Type of Law | Who is Covered (Yrs.) | In What Seat | Maximum Fine 1st Offense |
| Primary | 6-17 | All | $15 |
| >18, pick-up drivers exempted | Front | ||
Sources: Insurance Institute for Highway and State Highway Safety Offices.
| Permitted on Sidewalks/Bicycle Paths | Permitted on Roads | Helmets Required | Minimum Age | Pedestrian Laws Apply |
| Sidewalks | Yes on streets w/ speed limits up to 35 mph and separate bike lanes | <16 | 16 to use on highways | Yes |
Sources: Segway LLC and State Highway Safety Offices.
| Checkpoints Conducted? | Comments |
| Yes | Conducted weekly |
Sources: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and State Highway Safety Offices.
| Rural Interstates | Urban Interstates | Other Limited Access Roads | |||
| Cars (mph) |
Trucks (mph) |
Cars (mph) |
Trucks (mph) |
Cars (mph) |
Trucks (mph) |
| 70 | 70 | 65 | 65 | 65 | 65 |
| Georgia ‘Super Speeder Law’ adds on $200 in state fees for any driver convicted of speeding at >75 on any two-lane roads or >85 on multiple lane roads anywhere in the state. | |||||
Sources: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and State Highway Safety Offices.
| State Law | Violations | Location | Citation Issued To / Liability |
Image / Privacy | Penalties (Traditional Penalties) | Defenses |
| Permitted | Red light | Various | Registered owner | License tag, intersection and light / Images and info. not part of public record; must not show identity of any person in vehicle | $70 max.; not a conviction or record offense; no points; not a moving violation; not to be used by insurers ($1,000 max.; 3 points) |
Owner not driver |
Sources: National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and State Highway Safety Offices.
| Multiple of Original Fine | Violations Affected | Workers Must Be Present | |
| $100-$2,000 and/or up to 12 months in jail | Speeding | Yes [work zone signs must be posted and either a) work zone personnel, or b) barriers, work vehicles or shoulder or pavement drop offs] | |
Sources: National Work Zone Safety Information Clearinghouse and State Highway Safety Offices.