Graduated Drivers License Programs Save Lives
GDLs Pay Off
A recent AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety study shows communities with nighttime and passenger restrictions for teen drivers have 20 percent lower death and injury crash rate for 16-year old drivers. Fatality and injury crash rates for 16-year-old drivers were 20 percent lower in a state with nighttime and passenger restrictions than in a comparison jurisdiction that lacked these building blocks of safer teen driving, according to a study released today by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.
In addition, the study also showed that twice as many crash-free teens reported never having violated their state’s passenger restriction provision compared to teens that had crashed. Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for teenagers, and government data show that 16-year-olds are involved in more than five times as many fatal crashes per mile driven as are adults in their 30s, 40s, or 50s.
The significant differences between crash-free and crash-involved teen drivers were: overall compliance with provisions found in state graduated driver licensing (GDL) laws, adherence to traffic laws and regulations, and parental involvement. “Teens who obey traffic rules and regulations, follow GDL regulations, and have actively involved parents are much less likely to crash,” said J. Peter Kissinger, president and CEO of the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. “Just think how many lives could be saved with the combination of the right laws and parental involvement.”
The study found that compliance with passenger restrictions was especially problematic, and teens involved in crashes reported more frequent violations when compared to crash-free teens. For example, 30 percent of crash-free teens, but only 16 percent of crash-involved teens, reported never violating their jurisdiction’s passenger restriction during their first six months of the intermediate stage of GDL. Nearly half of crash-involved teens reported violating the passenger restriction “more than a few times.”
In Tennessee drivers under 18 years old are required to go through graduated steps of driving experience to gain full, unrestricted Driver License status. The graduated Driver License steps are designed to incrementally teach young drivers how to drive by requiring minimum levels of driving experience and a safe driving history record before allowing teenage drivers to receive a “full-fledged” Class D driver license. Motor vehicle crashes are the major cause of death for young people between the ages of 15 and 20. By requiring more supervised practice, the State of Tennessee hopes to save lives and prevent tragic injuries.
In Tennessee there are four steps to becoming a full, unrestricted Driver License holder:
1. Learner Permit
2. Intermediate Restricted License
3. Intermediate Unrestricted License
4. Regular Driver
The AAA Foundation offers an interactive and engaging DVD for teens called Driver-ZED™, which puts users through 100 driving scenarios allowing them to experience conditions it could take several years to encounter on the road. Also included is supplemental information to aid parents in the process. Visit www.driverzed.org to learn more or contact your local AAA club.
If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Nashville automobile accident that is the fault of a teen driver contact the experienced Nashville automobile accident attorney’s at Phillip Miller & Associates and take advantage of a free consultation to learn about your rights and remedies.
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