Behind the wheel:

Carrot or stick? Graduated driver’s licenses

by Michele Regenold

15, 16, 17, 18. How old do you think teens should be to earn a driver's license?

What if, by waiting until age 17, your chances of being in a serious car accident decrease significantly? Would you be willing to put up with restrictions on your driving until then?

Whether you're willing or not, nearly every state and the District of Columbia have passed graduated driver's license (GDL) laws that restrict teens' driving. The steps to full licensure are usually broken down into these stages:

1. a "learner" stage when all driving is supervised by a licensed adult
2. an "intermediate" stage when driving is unsupervised but subject to restrictions
3. full, unrestricted license

Restrictions during the intermediate stage vary from state to state and may include no driving at night, especially between midnight and 5 a.m., and no passengers except family members.

What's the fun of having a new license if you can't drive your friends around?

One teen’s perspective on the no-passengers rule

Emily W., 16, of suburban Seattle, Washington, recently earned her intermediate license. In October, she was pulled over for speeding. And, against the rules of her intermediate license, she had a passenger under age 20 who was not an immediate family member. The police officer gave her a $155 speeding ticket, but he didn't cite her for the passenger rule violation.

In Washington State, a teen who gets a second traffic citation or violates the special rules for teens could have his or her license suspended for 6 months or until age 18, whichever is shorter. A third violation will get a teen's license suspended until age 18.

Emily was grateful the officer didn't say anything about her passenger, but she still wonders what the point is of the 6-months-with-no-passengers rule. "You’re not really learning anything," she says.

Drivers with an intermediate license are learning "to become better drivers and deal with different situations before having 3 or 4 passengers in the car with them," says Washington Department of Licensing spokesperson Christine Anthony.

Several studies have shown that when teen drivers have teen passengers, their crash risk jumps significantly. In one study, results showed that one teen passenger doubles the risk for a fatal crash. Other studies show even higher risks with 2 or more passengers.

According to the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety Q&A web page on GDL, "Half of the crash deaths that involve 16-year-old drivers occur when the beginners are driving with teen passengers."

Reducing young drivers' exposure to these kinds of hazardous driving situations is the objective of the intermediate stage and its restrictions, according to the AAA Foundation for Safety’s Nationwide Review of Graduated Driver Licensing. At the same time, the intermediate stage gives teens more time to practice their driving skills before earning their full license.

Another objection Emily has to the no-passengers rule is that it's enforced "by my parents, but that’s about it." She sees the rule regularly broken by other teens.

Teens on a panel at a recent driving symposium in Washington State made the same comment, Anthony says, and the traffic safety and law enforcement people in the audience were somewhat surprised that the passenger rule wasn't being enforced.

Emily believes that the intent of the graduated driver licensing laws is good. They're trying to cut down on teen fatalities due to motor vehicle crashes. And they're working.

Based on the nationwide review mentioned above, the most restrictive GDL programs have reduced 16-year-old drivers' fatal crashes by 38% and injury crashes by 40%.

GDL laws—temporarily annoying but ultimately worth it.

Learn more about GDL

• AAA Foundation for Safety's report, Nationwide Review of Graduated Driver Licensing (pdf)
• Insurance Institute of Highway Safety Q&A web page on teens and GDL

Talk back

Do you think GDLs help keep you and your friends safe? Why or why not? Email the editor (editor@go-explore-trans.com) your thoughts, or post a comment on this article (you need to have an “enhanced” subscription to post comments).