Licensing, Registration, and Georgia-Specific Requirements
What the exam tests
Georgia licensing questions cover the DDS, learner's permits, provisional licenses, Joshua's Law, points, registration, insurance, and title and emissions requirements. The exam expects Georgia-specific ages and restrictions, not generic rules.
Core rules
- Permit and provisional: a learner's permit is available at 15 with driver education, or 16 without. A provisional license is available at 16 after holding the permit and completing supervised driving. Joshua's Law requires 40 hours of supervised driving, including 6 at night, for eligible teens. Class C is the standard non-commercial license; Class M is for motorcycles.
- Provisional limits: for the first 6 months, no passengers outside immediate family; for the next 6 months, no more than one non-family passenger under 21; after that, up to three. Curfew: 16-year-olds may not drive midnight to 6 a.m.; 17-year-olds may not drive 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. Work, school, and emergency exceptions apply.
- Points: 15 points in 24 months leads to suspension; drivers under 21 can be suspended at 4 points in 12 months.
- Registration and insurance: register in your county and carry minimum liability insurance of $25,000 per person, $50,000 per accident, and $25,000 property damage. Georgia verifies insurance electronically.
- Title and emissions: apply for title within 30 days of purchase; emissions testing is required in metro Atlanta's covered counties.
Worked example
A 16-year-old with a provisional license wants to drive two friends home at 11:30 p.m. Reasoning: the midnight-to-6 a.m. curfew has not begun, but the first-six-month passenger rule bars non-family passengers under 21. The correct answer is no, unless an exception applies. After the first six months, one such passenger would be allowed, but not two.
Traps that cost marks
- Assuming a learner's permit allows solo driving; a supervising licensed driver is required.
- Ignoring the two-stage passenger limit.
- Thinking 15 points is the only suspension threshold; under-21 drivers have a lower one.
- Driving without Georgia minimum insurance or after a lapse.