Research Update: Graduated Driver Licensing Reduces Risk of Young Driver Crashes

Lin ML, editor. Graduated driver licensing. Journal of Safety Research 2003;34(special issue):1–126.

A series of research papers printed in the January 2003 special issue of the Journal of Safety Research makes a compelling case for graduated driver licensing (GDL), the system of laws and practices that gradually introduce young drivers into the driving population. The collection of 12 scientific papers and other presentations are the printed proceedings of a November 2002 symposium to document the effectiveness of GDL and addresses several important areas of GDL research.

The need for GDL
Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death and injury among teenagers, and crash risk is highest among the most inexperienced teens. Drivers 16 years of age experience crashes almost three times as often as more experienced drivers ages 18 to 19 years. The crash risk for young drivers is greatest at night, and also increases when teenage passengers are in the car. GDL address the high risks faced by new drivers by allowing them to get their initial driving experience under low risk conditions.
The effectiveness of GDL
Evaluations of GDL programs in the United States, Canada, and New Zealand have consistently found that GDL reduces the crash risk among teen and other inexperienced drivers. GDL appears to work both by reducing the amount of driving by an inexperienced driver and by improving driving skills under low risk conditions.
The learner’s permit phase
Under GDL, beginning drivers must first obtain a learner’s permit which allows them to drive only while supervised by a licensed driver. The learner’s permit must be held for a specified time period, and in some cases, a minimum amount of supervised driving is also required during this phase. Research has shown that learner’s permit requirements contribute substantially to the safety benefits of GDL. Crash rates for drivers with learning permits are much lower than those of newly-licensed drivers.
The provisional license phase
Under GDL, drivers must successfully complete their learner’s permit requirements and pass a skills test to receive a provisional or intermediate license. The provisional license restricts unsupervised driving in some higher-risk situations such as late night driving and driving with teen passengers. Though nighttime driving and passenger restrictions have been shown to reduce the crash risk for teen drivers, research findings suggest that passenger restrictions are violated more frequently than nighttime driving restrictions.
The role of parents
Most parents of teenagers are involved in teaching driving skills, supervising driving, and governing their teens’ access to vehicles. GDL can guide and support parents in these activities. However, many parents are unprepared for their new role as enforcer of the GDL restrictions, and "how to" information for these parents is limited. Only a few programs to strengthen parental management of teen driving have been formally evaluated. Further work is needed to develop, implement, and evaluate strategies for improving parental management of teen drivers.

Research Update: Reducing Motor Vehicle Crashes Among Young Drivers

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.

Motor vehicle-related injuries are the biggest health threat to teenagers in the United States, accounting for two of five deaths among teens ages 16 to 19 years. The crash risk is highest for drivers 16 years of age due to their immaturity and limited driving experience. A series of five research papers published in a September 2002 supplement of Injury Prevention address reducing the crash risk among young drivers. The papers make a compelling case for graduated driver licensing (GDL), the system of laws and practices that gradually introduce young drivers into the driving population.

Traditional driver education is insufficient for reducing the high risk of teen crashes (Mayhew & Simpson, pp. ii3–ii8).
Most traditional driver education provides classroom training about the rules of the road and a few hours of behind-the-wheel training. Research suggests that this approach is not effective in reducing the crash risk among newly-licensed teen drivers. Driver education programs may be improved by teaching psychomotor, perceptual, and cognitive skills that are critical for safe driving, and by addressing inexperience, risky behaviors, and other age-related factors that increase the crash risk among young drivers. However, more research into these factors is needed before they can be addressed effectively.
Important risk factors highlight the need for graduated driver licensing (Williams & Ferguson, pp. ii9–ii16).
Young, beginning drivers have an extremely high crash risk. Certain situations contribute to even greater risk, most notably nighttime driving and driving with teen passengers. The GDL approach addresses the high risks faced by young drivers by requiring an apprenticeship of planned and supervised practice, followed by a provisional license that places temporary restrictions on unsupervised driving in some higher-risk situations.
Developmental characteristics of young drivers may contribute to their crash risk (Arnett, pp. ii17–ii23).
Inexperience increases the crash risk for new drivers of all ages. However, younger novice drivers crash at higher rates than older novice drivers. These higher crash rates may be due in part to developmental factors such as peer influence, poor perception of risk, and high emotionality. Research about such developmental characteristics could increase our understanding about why young drivers have higher crash rates and could help to improve driver education programs and licensing policies.
Greater parental involvement is needed (Simons-Morton et al., pp. ii24–31).
A growing body of research indicates that close parental management of teen drivers can lead to less risky driving behavior, fewer traffic tickets, and fewer crashes. However, many parents tend to be less involved than they could be. A recent study indicates that parents can be motivated to increase restrictions on their newly-licensed teens, at least during the critical first few months of licensure. A model intervention, the Checkpoint Program, led to increased parental limits on teenage driving at licensure and three months after licensure.

GDL works (McKnight & Peck, pp. ii32–ii38).
GDL has consistently proven effective in reducing new driver crash risk. While research is still needed to better understand which components of GDL are essential, it remains a promising solution for improving teen driver safety. It may also provide the best context for improving driver education and increasing parental involvement, both of which could also reduce the crash risk for teen drivers.

Teen Driving/How to Help your teen through the learning process

Should your teen driver take the wheel on family car trips?

Ah, the open road: throw the kids in the back, cram in enough stuff to fill a small apartment, and away you go. Mercifully, as the kids grow, you no longer need to cram in strollers, diapers and talking toys. It may seem that life is getting simpler.

But of course just around the corner is that moment when your sixteen-year-old has just obtained a learner's permit. So get ready for the words: Can I drive the car?

And suddenly your road trip getaway is the locus of all your teen driving anxieties.

Teen Driving: Learn by Doing

The obvious solution is to treat the getaway as an opportunity for your child get practice behind the wheel. Teenagers definitely need all the practice they can get... as some sobering teen driving statistics at Drivehomesafe.com indicate. So the chance to drive for long stretches with a parent(s) in the car is a Good Thing. Really.

Teen Driving: How to Help

For starters, watch your own habits and see what kind of example you set when behind the wheel. If you're an impatient tailgater-- well, pretend you're not, when the kids are in the car with you.

Scan around: act like a second pair of eyes for your teen driver. Point out the sorts of potential risks that your teen should be noticing. And of course watch for imminent dangers!

Hold the cell phone: in your own hands. Your teen driver should not be distracted by cell phone calls. (Not to mention that using cell phones while driving is illegal in some states.)

Help out with the dashboard: new drivers can get flustered if suddenly the window fogs and they need to flip on the defroster; or they may need reminders to switch from high beams to low.

Watch your attitude toward your child: be patient, and positive. Don't frazzle your teen driver with too much nagging. And definitely don't lose your cool: if tempers are rising, it may be time to take a break.

Planning for Safety

It's not only your job to scan the road for hazards, but to think far ahead-- well, that's parenting, isn't it?

For example: what lies ahead? Perhaps your teen is fine with highway driving but isn't ready to handle a strange big city. Make sure to take the wheel yourself in plenty of time-- so that he/she isn't plunged into heavy traffic and confusing interchanges.

Also, be sure you know the rules about teen drivers in individual states: some states prohibit teens from driving late at night. And double-check that you have adequate insurance Always, always, buckle up!

Other Sites
	http://www.cdc.gov/Motorvehiclesafety/Teen_Drivers/index.html
	http://travelwithkids.about.com/cs/carplanetips/a/teendriving.htm