I am a former assistant district attorney for the state of Georgia. I am concerned about House Bill 416 (Section 3A). HB 416 is proposing a law that will allow individuals with a poor driving record to take an online course to satisfy requirements to have their driver’s license reinstated.

That’s right, individuals who have lost their license because of reckless driving will be put back on the roads, further endangering you and me by having their secretary take the online defensive driving course for them.

Currently, the state of Georgia requires an individual who has lost their license because of too many traffic violations to take a six-hour in-classroom defensive driving course before their license can be reinstated.

The in-classroom environment guarantees the individual’s participation and requires their complete attention, therefore providing the individual with the tools he or she needs to correct and improve their driving. This in turn provides a safer environment on Georgia’s streets and highways. An Internet course will not provide these vital aspects.

By allowing individuals to take this course on the Internet, one cannot guarantee the individual taking the course is, in fact, the one who violated the law. The individual taking the Internet course could be the violator’s wife/husband, secretary, friend, girlfriend/boyfriend, etc. With this being the case, the violator has learned nothing and will continue his or her poor driving habits, further endangering him or herself as well as others who drive in Georgia.

The Internet course will not allow vital interaction between the teacher and student and among the students themselves and will not require the individual’s complete attention to be devoted to the material at hand.

Interaction among the students and teacher provides multi-dimensional question and answer sessions that further elaborate on laws and good driving habits.

An Internet course will only allow one-dimensional reading depriving the students of a realm of information. Using the Internet in one’s home, at the library or at work will not allow the individual to devote their full attention to the material being presented.

There are too many distractions outside of a classroom. Again, the violator will not fully benefit from the in-classroom environment, therefore continuing his or her poor driving habits and endangering him or herself as well as others who drive in Georgia.

I urge you to contact your local representative and senator telling them to stop House Bill 416. Otherwise, Georgia’s streets and highways will be overrun with bad drivers who have had no rehabilitation.

Justin T. Hall
Suwanee, Ga.