Longer Driver's "ED" Equals Fewer Accidents

LONGER DRIVER’S “ED” EQUALS FEWER ACCIDENTS

Volume 28, Issue 491 May 14, 2007

Melissa Savage

States have long used graduated driver’s licensing (GDL) laws to help teen drivers become safe ones. Now some are debating whether to toughen those laws in an effort to further decrease death and injury rates.

The Illinois General Assembly is considering a bill (SB 0172) that, if passed, would give the Prairie State one of the toughest teen driver laws in the country. The bill would beef up existing Illinois law by:

increasing the time teens must hold learner permits;
adding nighttime driving restrictions;
requiring at least six hours of actual street driving in driver’s education;
making teens wait longer before giving rides to their friends; and
requiring teens to drive citation-free for 15 months before they are eligible for an unrestricted license.

Lawmakers hope to “reduce the number of Illinois teens dying each year on our state highways,” said Senator John Cullerton. “This legislation will help us reach that goal.”

Nationwide, motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among 15- to 20-year-olds, accounting for approximately one-third of all deaths among this age group. Sixteen-year-olds are the most at risk because their driving experience is so limited and because their immaturity may result in risk-taking behind the wheel, according to the National Traffic Safety Administration.

Research by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety and others shows that GDL laws reduce injury and death among teen drivers. The laws allow students to progress from a “learner’s permit,” to an intermediate stage that allows unsupervised driving—subject to restrictions such as limits on the number of young passengers in the car—and finally, to full licensure with no restrictions.

According to AAA, 43 states and the District of Columbia have three-stage GDL laws for teens. The association says the other seven states lack either an intermediate licensing stage or a mandatory learner’s permit.

New Jersey lawmakers recently approved legislation creating a commission to study the leading factors contributing to teen crashes—distraction, aggressive driving and speed. “Legislators need to take a comprehensive approach to examining teen driver safety, and begin pushing for safer standards and greater education for our young drivers,” said bill sponsor Senator Ellen Karcher.

Not everyone is so inclined. In late March, the Arkansas House rejected a bill that would have added nighttime driving restrictions and limited the number of teen passengers allowed in a teenage driver’s car. Representative Billy Gaskill said it’s unfair to target teens this way and asked his colleagues to “leave these kids alone.” Other legislators questioned the wisdom of having more cars on the road—a potential issue arising from limiting teens’ ability to carpool.