In the midst of a pandemic, it is no longer safe to administer a driving test the old-fashioned way, with an examiner riding in the car and observing the on-road behavior of a prospective teen driver (or other driver’s license applicant). As a result, the Georgia Department of Driver Services (DDS) has been forced to change its procedures.
The Department of Driver Services told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that “the road test [will consist] of the exact same requirements maneuvers using the same scoring sheet as with previously administered road tests.” Under the new procedures, though, a parent or responsible adult will remain in the car with the teen driver, while the examiner will remain outside of the vehicle and score the test from there. Rather than observing the driver on a public road, tests will be conducted on a DDS course.
Since the beginning of the pandemic and Georgia Governor Brian Kemp’s declaration of a state-wide emergency on March 14, DDS has changed other procedures as well in order to make it easier for Georgians to renew their licenses and submit required vision tests results online.
As no one knows how long the pandemic will continue, it remains unclear how long the new testing provisions will remain in place.
