We've all seen teenagers speeding down a crowded street or driving recklessly. Statistics from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety provide some gruesome stats proclaiming 16-year old drivers to have the highest crash rates of any other age group of drivers. This make information makes the inevitable all too clear: exploring ways to reduce the chance that someone will be killed or injured by a teen driver must be a national priority. One solution that is being looked at by many states around the United States is graduated licensing.
Graduated licensing isn't a new phenomenon. A number of states, including Arizona, California, Connecticut, Michigan, Pennsylvania and New York, have implemented their own versions of graduated licensing systems. It is thought to be one positive way to reduce teen crash rates.
Lawmakers in many more states are beginning to believe that by implementing graduated licensing systems, the crash rates for young drivers can be lowered, and it will make roads safer for everyone to enjoy. This not only helps to lower the death toll and injury accidents, but also insurance rates, while providing the privilege of driving to people on a gradual scale after they have become more experienced. This is a sweepingly different approach from the current policy of forking over full driving privileges when children reach the tender age of 16.
Most graduated licensing programs begin with a learning period - often at age 15, when teen drivers are allowed to drive if they have completed a driver education course, have a driver's permit and as long as they are accompanied by a parent or licensed driver over the age of 21. After teens successfully pass a driving test, they are granted a six-month intermediate license that often restricts transporting teenage passengers and restricts driving to certain times, such as at night, when studies show teenage drivers are most likely to get in accidents.
After the first two stages are completed, drivers are then granted a driver's license with full privileges, a process that usually takes up to two years, and can be completed only with a good driver's record with no restrictions or license suspensions.
One website that follows state laws regarding graduated licensing is the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), to see where your state is at concerning graduated licensing programs.
A key component of graduated licensing systems is practice, practice, practice. This often requires more parental involvement, however it has had a positive effect. Teen drivers, especially 16-year-olds, often have higher crash rates because of their relative inexperience as car drivers. Add to that the fact that they often drive with other teens in the car, the often-distracted new teen driver simply has a difficult time adjusting to the often-overwhelming responsibility of driving a vehicle. Driving is an acquired skill, and when combined with immaturity and often times aggressive driving, teen driving can be deadly driving.
