Georgia teens can get driver's license without taking road test

Georgia is now allowing people to get their drivers’ licenses without having to take a driving test during the coronavirus pandemic. Qualifying teenagers in the state just need their parents’ permission to get one. 

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp signed an executive order last week that is still in effect due to the COVID-19 pandemic.The road test requirement has been waived for teens applying for driver’s licenses, but other requirements such as completing necessary driving hours with parents is still required, according to Georgia’s Department of Driver Services.

“What the executive order does, it allows the teen driver to go to that next phase without having to take that road test because of social distancing problems, obviously, in trying to provide the test,” Spencer Moore, the commissioner at the Department of Driver Services, told CBS affiliate WSB-TV. 

More than 5,000 Georgia teens a week took the official road test to get their license before the virus, WSB-TV reported. There’s a backup of 30,000 people who want to take the test, but they can now skip it. 

Teens between 16 and 18 years old who have had learners permits for over a year – and no violations – can upgrade to a provisional license, according to the department. They’ll have to provide affidavits that they have completed about 40 hours of driver training either by a parent or instructor. 

Any driver over 17 years old without a permit or license has to schedule an appointment to take a knowledge exam, according to the department. Permission is required to complete an application for a driver’s license for drivers under the age of 18. 

Still, some parents are concerned about who will be on the road now. 

“I have mixed feelings because I do feel we need to keep social distancing,” Alicia Wiggins, a mother of a 15-year-old, told WSB-TV. “But I also feel nervous about having drivers on the road that haven’t actually passed a road test.”