Teen Driving, Part 1: Graduated Driver’s License
Learning to drive is a right of passage for most teenagers. Unless you live in a city with a highly developed mass transit system, automobiles remain the primary means of transportation for most people. Obtaining a driver’s license allows teens more independence, freedom, and responsibility.
Unfortunately, newly licensed teen drivers are among the highest risk groups for injury and/or death from motor vehicle crashes. In fact, teen drivers have the highest rate of crashes among all age groups, and contribute to the most fatalities. An average of 6 teens died in motor vehicle crashes per day in 2016. This number includes both teen drivers and their teen passengers.
So what do we do, deny access to teen drivers in order to protect them and those around them? Of course not. In response to the concerning statistics regarding teen drivers most states have adopted a process of “Graduated Driver’s License,” or GDL. The specifics vary by state (find your state’s laws here: https://www.iihs.org/topics/teenagers/graduated-licensing-laws-table?topicName=teenagers). Some are more restrictive than others but the basic process is the same.
Purpose of GDL
A Graduated Driver’s License allows for new drivers to gain skills in a safe, controlled manner. Sitting behind the wheel of a vehicle and directing it safely through traffic can be an overwhelming experience. Slowly introducing new teen drivers to these experiences is helpful in gaining confidence and control. As they move through the process, they are given more independence and exposed to more situations, including driving with passengers and at night. Implementing the GDL process has been proven to reduce the rates of teen driver-related crashes and deaths.
Stages of GDL
As mentioned earlier, each state has specific GDL requirements that may vary. However, they all have three major stages that new drivers go through prior to having full driving privileges.
Stage 1: Learner’s Permit
- This is a very important stage of the process, in that it gives new drivers a period of complete supervision by an adult (usually a parent) when starting out. Novice drivers are rarely involved in crashes while supervised by an adult, especially compared to unsupervised driving.
- Many states require parents to certify a certain number of supervised hours of driving practice before a new driver can move on to the next stage. Some even specify nighttime driving hours under supervision.
- Driver’s education courses occur during this stage.
Stage 2: Intermediate, or Provisional License
- Teens begin to earn more driving independence but with restrictions still in place.
- Supervision of nighttime driving by an adult is still required.
- Young passenger restriction without adult supervision is still in effect.
- Driver must have no violations or crashes for a specified amount of time prior to moving on from this stage.
Stage 3: Unrestricted License
- This stage is only obtained after successful completion of the prior stages.
- This results in a full, unrestricted driver’s license.
- Age of eligibility may vary by state.
In addition to these three stages, GDL systems should include the following in order to be both effective and comprehensive:
- minimum age of 16 years for a learner’s permit,
- mandatory holding period of at least 12 months,
- restrictions against nighttime driving between 10:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. (or longer),
- limit of zero or one young passengers without adult supervision,
- minimum age of 18 years for full licensure.
Implementation of a Graduated Driver’s License allows teen drivers to slowly progress from a novice to an experienced driver under supervision. This process keeps our young drivers – and their passengers – safer on the roads and has been shown to reduce vehicle crashes and related deaths. As your teen becomes closer to the age of obtaining a learner’s permit, become familiar with the details of this process in your state and sit down with your teen to discuss how it will work for your family.
Next week, we will discuss in more depth the reasons WHY teens are at a higher risk of vehicular accidents and death, also called the “Eight Danger Zones” by the Center for Disease Control.
Resources
Article on Teen Driver Fatalities: https://www.bumper.com/analysis/teen-driving-accidents-fatalities/
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