Graduated Drivers Licensing: a three-tiered licensing system under which novice drivers are given full driving privileges gradually, after an extended period of education, supervised driving with nighttime restrictions and citation and alcohol-free driving record.

Overview

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among teenagers, accounting for 36 percent of all deaths of people 15 to 19 years old. This is largely because younger drivers are more likely to speed, tailgate, and engage in other dangerous behaviors and are less likely to recognize or respond to hazards due to inexperience. (Williams, 97) (McKnight and McKnight, 2003)  As a result, 16-year-old drivers have crash rates three times higher than 17-year-old drivers and five times higher than 18-year-old drivers. (Williams, 97)  The risks substantially decrease as more experience is gained. (McCartt et al, 2003) (Mayhew et al, 2003)

Graduated driver's licensing eases younger drivers into driving through a phased approach. In an ideal system, learner's permit holders may not drive unless accompanied by a licensed driver who is at least 21 years old. Then, in the intermediate stage, drivers may not drive at nighttime unless accompanied by a licensed driver who is at least 21 years old.

These minor restrictions help coach young people on driving and decrease their crash risk. A young driver is significantly more likely to be involved in a crash if they are driving with passengers (Cooper, Atkins, and Gillen, 2005) (Chen et al, 2000); thus, passenger restrictions have been shown to decrease crashes. San Diego found a 23 percent decline in passenger injuries after California banned teenage passengers and introduced nighttime restrictions (Smith, 2001); California as a whole found at 17 percent decline (Rice et al, 2003) that saved eight lives and 684 injuries over a three-year period. (Cooper, Atkins, and Gillen, 2005)

Nighttime restrictions also help young people adjust to driving at night. Considering that 41 percent of motor vehicle crashes involving teenagers occur between 9 PM and 6 AM, this adjustment period is necessary. North Carolina found that graduated driver's licensing reduced crashes among 16 year olds by 47 percent during the night and 22 percent during the day. (Foss, 2000)  Similarly, Michigan's program found a 53 percent reduction in crashes involving teenage drivers during restricted nighttime hours and a 25 percent decline overall in crashes involving teenage drivers. (Shope, 2001)   Iowa also found a 14 to 22 percent reduction in crashes involving 16 year olds after implementing nighttime restrictions. (Falb, 2003)

Take Action

There are still 10 states that do not have comprehensive graduated driver's licensing: Arizona, Connecticut, Hawaii, Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Nevada, North Dakota, Oklahoma, and Wyoming.  These state have either no intermediate license requirement or no nighttime driving restrictions and a learner's permit that is shorter than six months. 

Related Issues

• Primary seat belt laws

Resources

• Official Position Statement on Graduated Licensing or Provisional Licensing Programs
• Studies
  • Agent, Ken, et al. "Impact of Partial Graduated License Program on Teen Motor Vehicle Crashes in Kentucky." Transportation Research Record 1779: Traffic Safety 2001. Washington, DC: Transportation Research Board, 2001.
  • Boase, Paul and Leo Tasca. "Graduated Licensing System Evaluation: Interim Report '98." Toronto, Canada: Safety Policy Branch, Ministry of Transportation of Ontario, 1998. 
  • Chen, Li-Hui, et al. "Carrying Passengers as a Risk Factor for Crashes Fatal to 16- and 17-Year-Old Drivers." Journal of the American Medical Association 283 (2000): 1578-1582.
  • Coben, JH and MP McKay.  Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Pennsylvania's Graduated Driver Licensing Program.  Harrisburg, PA: Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.  2003.  
  • Cooper, Douglas, Frank Atkins, and David Gillen.  "Measuring the Impact of Passenger Restrictions on New Teenage Drivers."  37 (2005): 19-23. 
  • Falb, SR. Graduated Driver License: Iowa's Experience since the Law's Inception.  Des Moines, IA: Office of Driver Services, Iowa Department of Transportation.  2003.
  • Foss, Robert. "Effects of the North Carolina Graduated Driver Licensing System." Chapel Hill, NC: Highway Safety Research Center, University of North Carolina, 2000.
  • Foss, Robert, John Feaganes, and Eric Rodgman. "Initial Effects of Graduated Driver Licensing on 16-Year-Old Driver Crashes in North Carolina." Journal of the American Medical Association 286 (2001):1588-1592.
  • Jones, B. "The Effectiveness of Provisional Licensing in Oregon: An Analysis of Traffic Safety Benefits." Journal of Safety Research 25 (1994): 33-46.
  • Mayhew, Daniel, Herb Simpson, and Manon des Groseilliers."Impact of the Graduated Driver Licensing Program in Nova Scotia."Report from the Traffic Injury Research Foundation.
  • Mayhew, Dan, Herb Simpson, and Anita Pak.  "Changes in Collision Rates among Novice Drivers during the First Months of Driving."  Accident Analysis and Prevention 35 (5) (2003): 683-691.
  • McCartt, Anne, Veronika Shabanova, and William Leaf.  "Driving Experience, Crashes and Traffic Citations of Teenage Beginning Drivers."  Accident Analysis and Prevention 35 (3) (2003): 311-320. 
  • McKnight AJ and AS McKnight.  "Young Novice Drivers: Careless or Clueless?"  Accident Analysis and Prevention 35 (6) (2003): 921-925. 
  • Rice, TM, C Peek-Asa, and JF Kraus.  Effects of the California Graduated Driver Licensing Program.  Los Angeles, CA: Southern California Injury Prevention Center, 2003. 
  • Shope, Jean, et al. "Graduated Driver Licensing in Michigan: Early Impact on Motor Vehicle Crashes Among 16-Year-Old Drivers." Journal of the American Medical Association 286 (2001): 1593-1598.
  • Smith, AM, et al. "Motor Vehicle Occupant Crashes Among Teens: Impact of the Graduated Licensing Law in San Diego." 45up>th Annual Proceeding of the Association for Advancement of Automotive Medicine. Barring, Illinois, 2001.
  • Williams AF. "Earning a Driver's License." Public Health Reports 112 (1997): 453-461.
  • Williams AF. "Teenage Passengers in Motor Vehicle Crashes: A Summary of Current Research." Washington, DC: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, December 2001.
• Fact Sheets
  • National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. "Saving Teenage Lives: The Need for Graduated Drivers Licensing." Washington, DC: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 1998.
  • National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. "Traffic Safety Facts: Graduated Drivers Licensing System." Washington, DC: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, May 2003.
  • Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. "Teenagers: Graduated Driver Licensing." Washington, DC: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, June 2003. 

 

States with this law
Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, West Virginia