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Teens Behind the Wheel: Graduated Driver Licensing
Motor
vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for U.S. teens,
accounting for 36% of
all deaths in this age
group. In 2004, 4,767 teens
ages 16 to 19 died of injuries
caused by motor vehicle crashes (CDC
2006). The risk of
motor vehicle crashes is higher among 16- to
19-year-olds
than other age groups. Per mile driven, teen drivers ages
16 to 19 are four times more likely than older drivers to
crash
(IIHS
2006). Add to this, in 2002, the estimated
economic cost of
police-reported crashes (fatal and nonfatal) involving drivers ages 15
to 20 was $40.8 billion (NHTSA 2003). However, there are proven methods
for helping teens to become safer drivers. Research suggests that the
most strict and comprehensive graduated driver licensing (GDL) systems
are associated with reductions of 38% and 40% in fatal and non-fatal
injury crashes, respectively, of 16-year-old drivers (Baker et al.
2007).
How Do Teens Safely Gain
Driving Experience?
Graduated
driver licensing (GDL) systems address the high risks new drivers
face by allowing them to get their initial driving experience under
low-risk conditions. CDC’s Injury Center supported research leading to
several publications on the topics of young drivers and GDL:
- Lin ML, editor. Graduated driver licensing. Journal of Safety Research 2003;34(special issue):1–126.
- Simons-Morton B, Hartos J, editors. Reducing young driver crash risk: Proceedings of an expert conference on young drivers. Injury Prevention 2002;8(Suppl II):ii1–ii38.
- Annual updates of teen driver research:
- Hedlund J, Shults RA, Compton R. Graduated driver licensing and teenage driver research in 2006. Journal of Safety Research 2006;37:107-121
- Hedlund J, Compton R. Graduated driver licensing research in 2004 and 2005. Journal of Safety Research 2005;36:109-119.
- Hedlund J, Shults RA, Compton R. What we know, what we don't know,
and what we need to know about graduated driver licensing. Journal of
Safety Research 2003;34:107–15.
Parents and guardians can use the basic principles of GDL to help teen drivers gain experience under low-risk conditions. Read the National Safety Council’s Teen Driver: A Family Guide to Teen Driver Safety* for helpful tips and suggestions.
CDC
Facts, Activities, and Research
- CDC Fact Sheet about Teen Drivers
- CDC Activities Related to Teen Drivers
- CDC Transportation Injury Research Priorities, as described in the CDC Injury Research Agenda
Online Resources
- National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Traffic Safety Facts:Young Drivers*
- Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, Teenage drivers*
- National Safety Council, Teen Driver: A Family Guide to Teen Driver Safety*
References
Baker SP, Chen L, Li G. Nationwide review of graduated driver licensing.
Washington (DC): AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety; 2007.
Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention. Web-based Injury Statistics Query and
Reporting System (WISQARS) [Online]. (2006). National Center for Injury
Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(producer). Available from: URL:
www.cdc.gov/ncipc/wisqars.
[Cited 2006 Dec 1].
Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). Fatality facts: teenagers
2005. Arlington (VA): The Institute; 2006 [cited 2006 Dec 1]. Available
from: URL:
www.iihs.org/research/fatality_facts/teenagers.html.*
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Dept. of Transportation (US). Traffic safety facts 2002: young drivers. Washington (DC): NHTSA; 2003 [cited 2003 Nov 13]. Available from: URL: www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/pdf/nrd-30/NCSA/TSF2002/2002ydrfacts.pdf.
* Links to non-Federal organizations found at this site are provided solely as a service to our users. These links do not constitute an endorsement of these organizations or their programs by CDC or the Federal Government, and none should be inferred. CDC is not responsible for the content of the individual organization Web pages found at these links.
Please note: Some of these publications are available for download only as *.pdf files. These files require Adobe Acrobat Reader in order to be viewed. Please review the information on downloading and using Acrobat Reader software.
Page last modified: March 20, 2008