The statistics are clear - the most restrictive Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) programs are the best, so I don’t understand why the governors of states with lax GDL programs aren’t pushing harder to implement more restrictive programs. Don’t they think their teens are worth it?

And why aren’t the parents of teen drivers in those states screaming at their governors to improve their programs immediately?  GDL is based on a lot of sound research by government and independent safety bodies and it’s saving teen lives.

What is GDL?
Despite the fact that cars have gotten much safer (with the invention of seatbelts, airbags, etc.), teens continued to die in crashes at outrageous numbers. As a result, many studies looked at thousands of crashes involving teen drivers and analyzed the factors that contributed to them. Based on that data, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recommended a 3-tiered driver-licensing program

• A Learner Stage where all driving must be supervised by a licensed adult driver
• An Intermediate (or “Provisional”) Stage where drivers can drive unsupervised under certain conditions
• A Full License which has all driving rights and privileges

Furthermore, the NHTSA provided 7 key recommendations that the 3-tiered system should be based on. They are:

1. Learner’s Permit has minimum age requirement of 16 years
2. Teen with Learner’s Permit is not eligible to take the road test and move to next level for at least 6 months.
3. Teen with Learner’s Permit must have 30-50 hours of supervised driving practice to be eligible to move to the next level
4. The minimum age for an intermediate license is 16 ½ years
5. During the intermediate stage, no solo driving is allowed between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m.
6. During the intermediate stage, no more than 1 (teen) passenger is allowed
7. The minimum age for a full license is 17 years.

• Reduced the rate of fatal crashes for 16 year-old drivers by 38%!
• Reduced the rate of injury crashes for 16 year-old drivers by 40%!

And there’s still room for improvement because none of the states had implemented all 7 of the recommendations!

• State sets minimum age for a learner’s permit at 16 years
• Pass vision and knowledge tests, including rules of the road, signs, and signals
• Completion of basic driver training
• Licensed adult (who is at least 21 years old) required in the vehicle at all times
• All occupants must wear seat belts
• Teenaged-passenger restrictions
• Zero alcohol while driving
• Permit is visually distinctive from other driver licenses
• Must remain crash and conviction free for at least 6 months to advance to next level
• Parental certification of 30 to 50 practice hours
• No use of portable electronic communication and entertainment devices 

Stage 2: Intermediate (Provisional) License

• Completion of Stage 1
• State sets minimum age of 16.5
• Pass a behind the wheel road test
• Completion of advanced driver education training (safe driving, decision-making, risk education, etc.
• All occupants must wear seat belts
• Licensed adult required in the vehicle from 10 p.m. until 5 a.m. (e.g., nighttime driving restriction)
• Zero alcohol while driving
• Driver improvement actions are initiated at lower point level than for regular drivers
• Provisional license is visually distinctive from a regular license
• Teenage-passenger restrictions not more than 1 teenaged passenger for the first 12 months of intermediate license.
• Afterward, limit the number of teenaged passengers to 2 until age 18
• Must remain crash and conviction free for at least 12 consecutive months to advance to the next stage
• Supervised practice
• No use of portable electronic communication and entertainment devices

Stage 3: Full License

•  Completion of Stage 2
• State sets minimum age of 18 for lifting passenger and nighttime restrictions
• Zero alcohol while driving

If you’re like me and believe your teen deserves as much protection as possible, you should support strict GDL laws in your state. If the current laws aren’t strict enough, create your own family rules to protect your teens. A Teen-Parent Driving Contract is a very good idea that will be addressed in a future post.