The American Safety Council, in conjunction with AAA and Taggart’s Driving School, announces the approval of its 30-hour online driver education course that meets Georgia’s new Joshua’s Law requirements for teen drivers and is approved by the Georgia Department of Driver Services (DDS).

Called Joshua’s Law, the State of Georgia now requires 16-year-olds to complete an approved driver education course in order to receive their Class D License. The law was passed in response to the ever-growing overrepresentation of youthful, novice drivers in traffic crash and fatality statistics. Joshua’s Law became effective on January 1, 2007.

The primary objective of this course which is available at www.JoshuasLaw.com is to provide novice drivers with the knowledge required to effectively make responsible and well-reasoned decisions while driving. This includes appropriate responses when drivers are faced with observed traffic hazards as well as in routine driving situations.

The State of Georgia now compels the completion of a 30-hour driver education course in addition to imposing a more rigid behind-the-wheel mandatory education component before an applicant is eligible for issuance of a Class D driver’s license. Those individuals who do not complete an approved course must wait until age 17 to become licensed to drive.

The behind-the-wheel education requirement may be addressed by completing 40 hours of parent-administered behind-the-wheel driving instruction — including six hours of night driving — in accordance with a DDS-approved plan or successful completion of the behind-the-wheel education component at a DDS licensed driver education school. As a convenience for students, the American Safety Council provides a free link to access the DDS-approved behind-the- wheel course at no extra charge.

This online course may be accessed using any computer and may be taken from home or anywhere a student has access to the Internet. Students may log on and off as many times as needed to complete the course, will not lose any of their invested time in the process, and are thus able to take the course in whatever time increments they have available.

The course completion will be reported to the Georgia Department of Driver Services electronically upon successful completion of the course.

The American Safety Council and its affiliated organizations have provided educational courses, traffic safety training, and professional continuing education in association with state regulatory agencies and court systems for more than ten years. The organization was the first to be approved by the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles to offer traffic school courses in an interactive fashion over the Internet and now offers courses in various states.

For course information, contact the American Safety Council at (800) 732-4135.