10 LC
34 2436
House
Bill 1036
By:
Representatives Rice of the
51st
and Powell of the
29th
A
BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To
amend Article 4 of Chapter 5 of Title 40 of the Official Code of Georgia
Annotated, relating to the restoration of licenses to persons completing
defensive driving courses, so as to authorize the Department of Driver Services
to implement a pilot program to measure the effectiveness and security of online
defensive driver courses; to provide for a report to the General Assembly; to
provide for related matters; to provide for an effective date; to repeal
conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
BE
IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION
1.
Article
4 of Chapter 5 of Title 40 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating
to the restoration of licenses to persons completing defensive driving courses,
is amended by adding a new Code section to read as follows:
"40-5-83.1.
(a)
The purpose of this article is to improve and promote greater safety upon the
highways and streets of this state and to improve the attitude and driving
habits of drivers who accumulate traffic accident and motor vehicle conviction
records.
(b)
States using online defensive driver courses for persons in driver improvement
clinics have documented such courses' effectiveness. However, questions have
arisen relating to whether online defensive driver courses offer the appropriate
course content and security verification.
(c)
There is a need to examine these issues to determine if legislative action is
needed to allow for the authorization of online defensive driver courses,
including whether legislation should be proposed in areas including, but not
limited to, the use of keyboard biometrics and voice biometrics to ensure online
identity verification, the inclusion of civil and criminal penalties for those
attempting to falsify identity, and the creation of a data base to determine if
participating in an online defensive driver course reduces crash or violation
recidivism at the same or better levels than courses conducted in a
classroom.
(d)
The department is authorized to establish a six-month pilot program to determine
the effectiveness of providing online defensive driver courses and the best way
to ensure identity and data base security. Upon completion of the pilot
program, the department shall make a report to the General Assembly along with
recommendations as to the viability of incorporating online defensive driving
courses into the approved curriculum of driver improvement clinics and the
effectiveness of any security methods. The department may require any licensed
online defensive driver program to utilize security technology including
technology developed after the initial licensing of the
program."
SECTION
2.
This
Act shall become effective on July 1, 2010.
SECTION
3.
All
laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.