AAA Study Shows Intermediate Driver’s License Programs Reduce Teen Crashes by up to 40 Percent
Phoenix, AZ., February 15, 2007 – AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety announced today the results of a study that showed sixteen-year-old drivers are involved in 38 percent fewer fatal crashes and 40 percent fewer injury crashes in states with the most comprehensive intermediate driver’s license program, also known as graduated driver licensing (GDL).
“Motor vehicle crashes remain the number one cause of death for teens in the United States, killing more than 4,800 teens nationwide in 2005, according to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA),” said J. Peter Kissinger, AAA Foundation president and CEO, “The study was commissioned to better understand the ability of legislation to make a difference on teen driver safety. Based on the research results, the impact of intermediate driver’s licensing programs for new teen drivers is highly impressive.”
“In Arizona, during 1995 to 2004 Arizona teen driver crashes killed nearly 700 people,” said Linda Gorman, AAA Arizona public affairs manager. “What is startling is that three out of four fatalities involving Arizona teen drivers weren’t the teen drivers themselves, but were other drivers, passengers, pedestrians and bicyclists. The tragic fact is that many of these deaths could have been prevented if stronger laws were in place.”
The AAA Foundation funded researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health to analyze the impact of GDL programs, implemented in the United States between 1994 and 2004, on the involvement of 16-year-old drivers in fatal crashes and injury crashes, and to identify characteristics common to effective programs.
“This research shows that these programs make a difference in the 45 other states that have implemented these provisions,” said Gorman. “Easing teens into licensure by limiting their exposure to risky situations while they are gaining needed experience behind the wheel, saves lives.”
Many of the seven basic GDL components that were included as criteria in the study are already in place in states across the nation – Arizona is not one of them. They include:
- A minimum age of at least 16 years for receiving a learner’s permit.
- A requirement to hold the learner’s permit for at least 6 months before receiving a license that allows any unsupervised driving.
- A requirement for certification of at least 30 hours of supervised driving practice during the learner stage.
- An intermediate stage of licensing with a minimum entry age of at least 16 years and 6 months.
- A nighttime driving restriction for intermediate license holders, beginning no later than 10 p.m.
- A passenger restriction for intermediate license holders, allowing no more than one passenger (except family members).
- A minimum age of 17 years for full, unrestricted licensure.
This is why AAA Arizona is leading a broad coalition in the goal of strengthening teenage driving laws. SB 1347, The Teenage Driver Safety Act, provides modest and practical solutions for addressing this growing tragedy. Sponsored by Senator Barbara Leff-R and Senator Ron Gould-R, the bill provides nighttime driving restrictions from midnight to 5:00 am and passenger limitations for the first six months a new teen driver holds their Class G Drivers License.
SB 1347 was passed 4-1 in the Senate Transportation Committee on February 7 and is expected to be heard before the full Senate by the end of this month. Should it make it out of the Senate successfully, it will then be heard in the House of Representatives.
To see the study in its entirety, click here.
AAA Arizona, the Arizona affiliate of AAA, provides automotive, insurance and auto travel services to nearly 750,000 Arizona members. Annually, AAA’s Emergency Road Service responds to more than 450,000 calls for help on the streets and highways of the state as well as providing insurance, travel, and financial services to AAA members and motorists. Since its founding in 1927, AAA Arizona has been a leading advocate for the safety and security of all travelers. |
