Georgia driving law, answered
Every answer here comes from Georgia Driver's Manual, with the page or the section it is in.
Manuals fetched on 18 September 2026. How the answers are made
How far from a fire hydrant must you park?
You may stop only momentarily to pick up or drop off a passenger within 15 feet of a fire hydrant. The fire crew needs to get a hose onto that hydrant, and a car on top of it costs them minutes.
Within 15 feet of a fire hydrant
As of 18 Sep 2026
How far from a stop sign or traffic signal must you park?
You may stop only momentarily to pick up or drop off a passenger within 30 feet of a stop sign, a yield sign or a traffic control signal. A car parked at the corner hides the sign, and then hides the driver who is obeying it.
Within 30 feet of a stop sign, yield sign, or traffic control signal
As of 18 Sep 2026
How far from a railroad crossing must you park?
You may stop only momentarily to pick up or drop off a passenger within 50 feet of a railroad crossing. A car parked near the track blocks the view along it, and along it is where the train comes from.
Within 50 feet of a railroad crossing
As of 18 Sep 2026
When must you stop for a school bus with flashing red lights?
Once a school bus has its red lights on and its stop arm out, no vehicle may pass it while it is loading or unloading passengers. Children cross in front of the bus where the driver behind it cannot see them at all.
Once the flashing lights have turned red and the stop signs have extended from the side of the bus, it is unlawful for any vehicle to pass the stopped school bus while it is loading or unloading passengers.
As of 18 Sep 2026
How far behind a fire truck answering an alarm may you follow?
Unless you are on official business you may not follow a fire truck answering an alarm closer than 200 feet, or park within 500 feet of one that has stopped at an alarm. Crews run hoses across the street at a fire, and a parked car pins them where they are.
The driver of any vehicle, other than one on official business, must not follow any fire fighting apparatus traveling in response to a fire alarm, or other emergency vehicles, closer than 200 feet, or park any vehicle within 500 feet of any fire apparatus stopped in answer to a fire alarm.
As of 18 Sep 2026
When must you turn on your headlights?
Georgia requires headlights from one-half hour after sunset to one-half hour before sunrise, any time it is raining, and whenever your view is limited. Lights are as much about being seen as about seeing, and dusk is when neither works well.
You must use your headlights between one-half hour after sunset to one-half hour before sunrise; at any time when it is raining; or when visibility is limited.
As of 18 Sep 2026
How far from an oncoming vehicle must you dim your high beams?
You dim your headlights when you come within 500 feet of an approaching vehicle, so you do not blind the other driver. The other driver is looking straight into your lights, and what they lose is the road in front of you both.
You are within 500 feet of an approaching vehicle so as not to blind the driver
As of 18 Sep 2026
Who must wear a seat belt?
Georgia law requires every front seat occupant of a passenger vehicle to wear a lap and shoulder belt, and requires every occupant under 18 to wear one wherever they are sitting. An unbelted passenger in the back is thrown forward into whoever is in front of them.
Georgia law states that each occupant in the front seat of a passenger vehicle traveling on Georgia roads and highways must be secured by a seat safety belt (lap and shoulder). All occupants of any passenger vehicle must utilize a seat safety belt if they are under the age of 18.
As of 18 Sep 2026
When must a child ride in a car seat?
Every driver carrying a child under eight years of age must have that child in a restraint system suited to the child’s height and weight, except in a taxicab or a public transit vehicle. An adult belt crosses a small child at the neck and the stomach, which is worse than no belt at all.
Every driver transporting a child who is under eight years of age, except in a taxicab or public transit vehicle, must properly restrain the child in a child passenger restraining system appropriate for the child’s height and weight.
As of 18 Sep 2026
What is the legal blood alcohol limit for adult drivers?
A driver of 21 or over in Georgia is under the influence of alcohol at 0.08 grams or more by alcohol weight in the blood. The figure is a line the law draws, and you are over it long before you feel that you are.
A person 21 or more years of age is considered "Under the Influence of Alcohol" when 0.08 gm or more by alcohol weight is present in the blood
As of 18 Sep 2026
What is the blood alcohol limit for drivers under 21?
A driver under 21 in Georgia is taken to be under the influence at 0.02 grams or more by alcohol weight in the blood, which is a quarter of the adult figure. One drink can put a young driver over that line, which is the point of setting it there.
A person under 21 years of age is irrefutably considered "Under the Influence of Alcohol" when 0.02 gm or more by alcohol weight is present in the blood
As of 18 Sep 2026
What happens if you refuse a breath or blood alcohol test?
A first driving-under-the-influence suspension in Georgia runs for a minimum of 12 months where the blood alcohol concentration was .08 or more, or where the driver refused implied consent testing. Refusing the test is treated as the worst result rather than as no result at all.
If your Blood Alcohol Concentration was .08 or greater or you refused implied consent testing, your license will be suspended for a minimum period of 12 months
As of 18 Sep 2026
May you use a handheld phone while driving?
Georgia’s Hands Free Law says a driver may not hold or support a phone for any reason, and that a phone may only be used with headphones, a wireless device, a holder or a mounted device. A phone in your hand is a hand off the wheel, whatever you are using the phone for.
Georgia has a hands Free Law (HB 673) that mandates that drivers are not allowed to hold or support a phone for any reason. A phone can only be used with headphones, a wireless device, phone holder or mounted device.
As of 18 Sep 2026
May you text while driving?
Writing, sending or reading any text-based message while driving is against Georgia law, and that covers a text, an instant message, an e-mail and internet data alike. Reading a line of text takes your eyes off the road for longer than a whole block goes by.
Writing, sending or reading any text-based communication, including a text message, instant message, e-mail or internet data.
As of 18 Sep 2026
May you turn right on a red light?
Unless a sign says otherwise, a right turn on a red light is allowed in Georgia after a complete stop, once you have yielded to all traffic and people on foot and decided the turn is safe. The stop is what turns a red light into a chance to look, and the looking is the whole point.
Unless a sign posted at that intersection prohibits doing so, it is permissible to make a "right turn on red" at an intersection controlled by a traffic control light.
As of 18 Sep 2026
Where are U-turns not allowed?
Georgia bans a U-turn on a curve or near the top of a hill where drivers coming from either direction cannot see you, and anywhere a sign forbids one. A U-turn takes several seconds with you across the whole road, and a blind crest gives nobody those seconds.
Do not make a U-turn on a curve or near the top of a hill if you cannot be seen by other drivers approaching from either direction. Do not make a U-turn where signs prohibit doing so.
As of 18 Sep 2026
What is the speed limit on a residential street when no sign is posted?
Unless a sign says otherwise, the maximum speed in any urban or residential district in Georgia is 30 miles per hour. Streets where people live have cars pulling out and children between them, and 30 is what leaves you time.
30 miles per hour in any urban or residential district
As of 18 Sep 2026
What is the speed limit on a highway outside town when no sign is posted?
Where none of Georgia’s other general rules fits the road, and no sign says otherwise, the maximum speed is 55 miles per hour. This is the figure the state falls back on, so it is the one that covers most of the roads you will drive.
55 miles per hour in all other areas.
As of 18 Sep 2026
May you wear headphones while driving?
Wearing a headphone, a headset or anything else that stops you hearing is unlawful while driving in Georgia, and so is wearing anything that blocks your view. A siren you cannot hear is an emergency vehicle you do not move over for.
It is unlawful to operate a motor vehicle while wearing a headphone, headset, or any other device which would impair the driver’s ability to hear.
As of 18 Sep 2026
How old must you be to get a learner's permit?
Georgia lets you apply for a Class C instructional permit on reaching age 15 or at any time after. Fifteen is where the graduated program starts, and everything after it is measured from there.
Upon reaching age 15, or anytime thereafter, you may apply for a Class C Instructional Permit (CP).
As of 18 Sep 2026
How long must you hold a learner's permit before a license?
You may apply for a Georgia Class D provisional license on reaching age 16, having held a valid instructional permit for one year and one day. The extra day is there so the year has to be a whole year, not almost a year.
Upon reaching age 16 and after having held a valid instructional permit for one year and one day, you may apply for a Class D Provisional License by:
As of 18 Sep 2026
Who must ride with you when you drive on a learner's permit?
With a Georgia instructional permit you may drive a Class C vehicle only when a person at least 21 years old, licensed for that class, fit to control the car and sitting in the seat beside you is in the vehicle. The supervising driver is there to catch the things a beginner has not learned to see yet.
Once issued a Class C Instructional Permit (CP), you may operate any Class C vehicle when accompanied by a person at least 21 years of age who is licensed to drive a Class C vehicle, who is fit and capable of exercising control over the vehicle, and who is occupying a seat beside the driver
As of 18 Sep 2026
What hours may a provisional driver not drive?
A Georgia Class D license holder may not drive between 12:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m., and the manual says there are no exceptions. Those are the hours when the road is emptiest and the crashes are worst, so the state closes them.
A Class D license Holder may not drive between the hours of 12:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m.
As of 18 Sep 2026
How many passengers may a new provisional driver carry?
For the first six months after a Georgia Class D license is issued, only immediate family members may ride in the vehicle. Passengers of your own age are the biggest single thing that raises a new driver’s crash risk.
During the first six months following issuance, only immediate family members may ride in the vehicle.
As of 18 Sep 2026
What is the fine for a first drunk-driving conviction?
Georgia sets severe penalties for driving under the influence: fines up to $1000, jail up to 12 months, and a suspension of your driving privileges that the court must impose. The suspension is the part that lasts, because it takes away how you get to work or school.
Penalties for driving under the influence of intoxicants are severe, with fines up to $1000, jail sentences up to 12 months, and mandatory suspension of your driving privileges.
As of 18 Sep 2026
How long can you be jailed for a first drunk-driving conviction?
Georgia sets severe penalties for driving under the influence: fines up to $1000, jail up to 12 months, and a suspension of your driving privileges that the court must impose. The suspension is the part that lasts, because it takes away how you get to work or school.
Penalties for driving under the influence of intoxicants are severe, with fines up to $1000, jail sentences up to 12 months, and mandatory suspension of your driving privileges.
As of 18 Sep 2026
How long is your license suspended for a first drunk-driving conviction?
A first driving-under-the-influence suspension in Georgia runs for a minimum of 12 months where the blood alcohol concentration was .08 or more, or where the driver refused implied consent testing. Refusing the test is treated as the worst result rather than as no result at all.
If your Blood Alcohol Concentration was .08 or greater or you refused implied consent testing, your license will be suspended for a minimum period of 12 months
As of 18 Sep 2026
How many points on your license lead to a suspension?
Georgia suspends a license for anybody who builds up 15 or more points within 24 months. The window is two years long, so an old ticket is still on the pile when the next one lands.
For any person who accumulates 15 or more points within 24 months
As of 18 Sep 2026
What is the fine for texting while driving?
A first conviction under Georgia’s Hands Free Law carries 1 point and a fine of not more than $50, and both climb with each conviction after it. The points are the part that matters, because enough of them take the license away.
1st conviction - 1 point and fine not more than $50.00
As of 18 Sep 2026
How much distance must you leave when passing a bicycle?
The minimum legal space for a Georgia motorist to leave when passing a bicyclist is 3 feet. A rider may have to swerve around a pothole you can see and they cannot, and the space is for that.
The minimum legal space for a motorist to pass a bicyclist is 3 feet.
As of 18 Sep 2026
Must a vehicle driving slower than other traffic keep to the right lane?
Georgia’s Slow Poke Law says slower drivers must move out of the passing lane and over to the right so faster traffic can get by. A car sitting in the passing lane makes everybody behind it pass on the right, which is the dangerous side.
Slower drivers must move out of the passing lane (most left-hand lanes) and over to the right to allow faster-moving traffic to proceed.
As of 18 Sep 2026
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