Transcript Graduated Driver Licensing

Teen Driving:
The National Perspective
Elizabeth A. Baker, Ph.D.
Regional Administrator, NHTSA Region 3
Virginia Distracted Driving Summit
Teens Have High Crash Rates Overall
Especially high:
 During the first few months/miles of driving
 At night
 With teenage passengers
 With alcohol
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Fatal Crash Involvement
per 100 Thousand Licensed Drivers,
Day vs. Night
25
Crash Involvement
20
15
Night
Day
10
5
0
16-17
18-19
20-24
25-29
30-34
35-39
40-44
45-49
50-54
55-59
60-64
65-69
70+
Age
(FARS and FHWA, 2011)
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Crashes per Million Miles,
by Driver Age
Crash involvement per million miles travelled
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
16
17
18
19 20- 25- 30- 35- 40- 45- 50- 55- 60- 65- 70- 75- 80- 85+
(2001-2002 GES data; IIHS, 2006)
Driver age
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National Priorities for Making Teen
Drivers Safer
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Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL)
Reducing Teens’ Access to Alcohol
Increasing Seat Belt Use
Parental Responsibility
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Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL)
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Three-stage GDL laws address immaturity and
inexperience, the primary factors contributing to
young driver crashes.
As of August, 2013:
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All States and the District of Columbia have GDL
These are typically 3-stage systems with most model
components, although no State has all components of a
model system.
Detailed list of licensing requirements by State can be
found at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS)
website:
http://www.iihs.org/laws/
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Common GDL Restrictions
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Passenger Restrictions
Nighttime Driving Restrictions
Safety Belt Requirements
Cell Phone Restrictions
Zero Tolerance Alcohol Restrictions
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How is GDL Effective?
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Expanding the learning process
Reducing risk exposure
Delaying full licensure
Improving driving proficiency
Enhancing motivation for self-driving
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Reducing Teens’ Access to Alcohol

Teens are at far greater risk of death in an alcoholrelated crash than the overall population, despite the fact
they cannot legally purchase or publicly possess alcohol
in any State.
 High-visibility enforcement of underage purchase,
possession, and provision laws can:
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create a significant deterrent for violation of youth access
laws;
reduce underage drinking;
and decrease alcohol-related crashes.
Additionally, parental responsibility is key to
educating and protecting our teens.
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Increasing Seat Belt Use
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Teens buckle up far less frequently than
adults do.
One of NHTSA’s top priorities is working to
ensure that people of every age buckle up—
and this includes a special emphasis on
young drivers.
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Parental Involvement
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Survey research shows that parental involvement in
teen driving can lead to positive outcomes.
What can parents do?
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Be familiar with State GDL law and its provisions
Enforce GDL law and its provisions
Limit exposure in risky driving situations above and beyond
GDL law
Follow through on supervised driving requirements in State
Use technology to aid in monitoring
Withdraw driving privileges when appropriate
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Parental Involvement

ROLE MODEL GOOD BEHAVIOR!
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If you drive distracted, unbelted, or
impaired—your kids will, too.
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Driver Education
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Traditional Driver Education Requirements
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30 hours of classroom instruction
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Theory
Rules of the road
Safe/defensive driving
Risk assessment
6-10 hours in-vehicle training (car control)
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Summary
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Young drivers have very high rates of involvement in
fatal crashes.
GDL laws have been proven to be effective in reducing
these crashes.
Reducing teens’ access to alcohol can have a significant
effect on decreasing crash rates.
Similarly, increasing teens’ use of seat belts can provide
better outcomes in crashes, drastically reducing fatalities
and injuries.
Parental involvement and role modeling are vital to
helping teen drivers learn the skills they need to be safe.
The goal of driver education is to teach novice drivers
the skills to be safe and competent drivers.
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THANK YOU
For more information:
http://www.nhtsa.gov/Teen-Drivers
Elizabeth A. Baker, Ph.D.
Regional Administrator
NHTSA Region 3
[email protected]
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