Graduated Driver Licensing
Graduated driver
licensing (GDL) systems address the high risks faced by new drivers by
first granting learners permits (supervised practice stage), followed by
a provisional license that temporarily restricts unsupervised
driving (Williams and Ferguson 2002). Two commonly imposed restrictions
include limits on nighttime driving and limits on the number of
passengers. These restrictions are lifted as new drivers gain experience
and when teenage drivers mature (full licensure) (NCUTLO
2003).
Although requirements for advancing through GDL抯 three stages條earners
permit, provisional licensure, and full licensure梫ary across
jurisdictions (IIHS 2005), GDL provides a protective environment while
new drivers gain experience.
The elevated crash
risk for beginning drivers is universal, and GDL has consistently proven
effective in reducing such risk. Peer-reviewed evaluations of GDL抯
effectiveness in New Zealand, Canada, and the United States show that
crashes involving new drivers have been reduced by 9% to 43% (Shope and
Molnar 2003; Simpson 2003; Begg and Stephenson 2003).
The reasons for these reductions
are not clear; however, it is generally accepted that GDL抯 safety
benefits result both from reductions in the amount of driving by
inexperienced drivers and from improvements in driving skills under
low-risk conditions.
GDL can apply to
all newly licensed drivers梟ot just those who are young. Research
clearly demonstrates that older new drivers experience higher crash
rates than drivers of the same age with several years of experience. For
this reason, in Canada and New Zealand, where many new drivers are not
young, GDL is required of all beginners, regardless of age. Even
countries that have a higher licensing age than those in North America
can benefit from the introduction of GDL.
Ruth A. Shults,
PhD, MPH1, Dorothy Begg, PhD, MPH2, Daniel R.
Mayhew, MA3, Herb M. Simpson, PhD3
1Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA, 2Injury
Prevention Research Unit, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand,
3Traffic Injury Research Foundation, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
References
Begg D, Stephenson
S. Graduated driver licensing: the New Zealand experience. Journal of
Safety Research 2003;34:99�5.
Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). U.S. licensing systems
for young drivers. Arlington (VA): IIHS; 2005 [cited 2005 Nov 3].
Available from: URL: http://www.highwaysafety.org/laws/state_laws/grad_license.html .
National Committee on Uniform Traffic Laws and
Ordinances (NCUTLO).
Graduated driver licensing model law. Alexandria (VA): NCUTLO; 1996.
Revised 1999, 2000 [cited 2005 Jan 14]. Available from: URL:
www.ncutlo.org/gradlaw2.html.
Shope JT, Molnar LJ. Graduated driver licensing in the United States:
evaluation results from the early programs. Journal of Safety Research
2003;34:63�
Simpson HM. The evolution and effectiveness of graduated licensing.
Journal of Safety Research 2003;34:25�.
Williams AF, Ferguson SA. Rationale for graduated
licensing and the risks it should address. Injury Prevention 2002;8
Suppl 2:ii9�/span>14; ii14�/span>6.
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