GDL then and now

Alcohol- and speeding-related fatal crashes among novice drivers age 18-20 not fully licensed at the time of the crash

INTRODUCTION

Some teens may intentionally delay their driving licensure until age 18 or later, thereby skipping the learning and driver safety benefits provided by graduated driver licensing (GDL) programs. Delaying driving initiation could elevate teen crash risk once they begin driving. This study compares the prevalence of alcohol use and speeding among individuals aged 18-20 y/o who were not fully licensed drivers (NFLD) at the time of the fatal crash with that of their fully licensed counterparts (FLD).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Data came from the 2010-2017 Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS). Census data were added to measure mean household income at drivers' zip code. Bivariate (chi-square) and logistic regressions were used to assess the likelihood young drivers were alcohol-positive and/or speeding at the time of the crash as a function of drivers' license status, demographic, socioeconomic, and the strength of GDL programs in the state.

RESULTS

Compared with females and White drivers age 18-20 y/o, males, Latino, and Black drivers were more likely to be NFLD at the time of the fatal crash (p < .0001). Living in zip codes with low median household income (p < .001) and the strength of GDL restrictions (p < .0001) were associated with individuals being NFLD at the time of the fatal crash. Alcohol-related fatal crashes were more prevalent among NFLD than FLD (p < .02).

CONCLUSIONS

The study provides indirect evidence suggesting that alcohol use may be more detrimental for NFLD than for FLD.

Impacts of graduated driver licensing regulations

We evaluate the impact of the Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) system introduced in Victoria, Australia as they influence both injury and fatality rates. Since 1990, the Victorian GDL scheme has undergone several modifications including the introduction of new requirements and the stricter enforcement of existing regulations. Our evaluation of the GDL is based on monthly mortality and morbidity data for drivers 18-25 for the period January 2000 to June 2017. We estimate the immediate and long-term impacts of each policy change to the GDL system. Our results indicate that several initiatives in the GDL system have had impacts on both fatalities and injuries requiring hospitalisation when differentiated by gender. In a number of cases we observe that reactions to these measures are common to both genders. These include: the signalling of the proposed GDL changes in the media, the introduction of an extra probationary year for those under 21, the total alcohol ban for the entire probationary period, and limits on peer passengers for the first year. Stricter mobile phone restrictions appear to have had no impact on injuries for either males or females although they were associated with lower fatality rates for both. In addition, we found an indication that in the period prior to the introduction of the mandatory requirement of 120 h supervised driving, there was a rise in male driver injuries possibly caused by a rush of more inexperienced learners to obtain their probationary licence.

Is a driver's license age waiver worth a teen's life?

Background

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for teens 14–19 years of age, with younger teen drivers at higher risk than older teens. Graduated driver licensing has been proven to reduce teen driver-related motor vehicle crashes and fatalities. Arkansas allows parents to request age waivers, which allow a teen to obtain a license for independent driving before the sixteenth birthday. The objectives of this study were to: (1) determine the prevalence of age waivers issued in Arkansas and (2) determine motor vehicle crash risks associated with 14 and 15 year old drivers.

Methods

This is a brief report on an informative query exploring risk factors related to age waivers. Publicly available databases were utilized for across state comparisons. The Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting Systems (WISQARS) was utilized to calculate motor vehicle crash crude death rates. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data were utilized to identify seat belt use rates. The Fatal Analysis Reporting System (FARS) was utilized to identify crash fatality risks for 14 and 15 year old drivers in Arkansas (N = 24). Age waiver data were obtained from the Arkansas Driver Control Administration. De-identified data on fatal crashes and rates of age waiver issuance in Arkansas for 14 and 15 year olds from 2004 through 2016 were calculated.

Results

We reviewed crash data for 14 and 15 year old drivers in Arkansas between 2004 and 2014 to determine fatality risks. Thirty-one out of seventy-five counties in Arkansas were above the state age waiver issuance rate of 30.4 per 1000 14 to 15 year old teens. Among the four states that had similar age waivers for 14 to 15 year olds, Arkansas had the highest motor vehicle death rate of 10.2 per 100,000 young teens and the lowest seat belt use rate at 73%.

Conclusions

Arkansas had the highest reported teen crash fatality rates among 4 states with age waivers. The volume of age waivers issued in Arkansas is concerning. Further research is needed to understand parental motivation when asking for age waivers and their level of awareness of the risks involved.

Permission to park: A statewide study of high school parking permits to determine compliance with graduated driver licensing law

BACKGROUND

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of fatality among teens in the United States. Beginning in the 1990s, many states enacted graduated driver licensing (GDL) systems to delay full licensure while allowing beginners to obtain experience under lower-risk conditions. Many high schools require parent and guardians of newly licensed teen drivers to complete a student parking pass application (PPA) for their son/daughter to drive, park, and transport themselves to and from school activities. The objective of this study was to describe the content of these PPAs for compliance with Connecticut's GDL law.

METHODS

PPAs were requested via e-mail, fax, or telephone from all Connecticut's high schools (n = 233). PPA variables included school demographics, parking rules, prohibitions and sanctions for violations, as well as reference to GDL law.

RESULTS

Seventy-four schools were excluded because students were not allowed to park and schools did not require PPAs or declined to send us a copy of their PPAs. Of the remaining 159 schools, 122 (76.7%) sent us their PPAs. Responding schools were more likely to be suburban or rural. Most PPAs included a section on prohibitions and sanctions for driving misbehavior. Forty-three percent prohibited students from going to car during school hours, and 34% prohibited driving off campus/parking lot. Seventy percent warned of consequences for dangerous driving in parking lot, and 88% included the possibility of revocation for infractions. Only 14% had any reference to Connecticut's GDL law on their PPAs.

CONCLUSION

A small percentage of Connecticut high schools include information about GDL laws on their PPAs. All states should examine their PPA content and adopt a uniform high school PPA that includes key provisions of their state's GDL laws in an effort to promote teen driving safety.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Therapeutic study, level V.

An evaluation of evidence-based paediatric injury prevention policies across Canada

BACKGROUND

Policies to reduce injury among Canadians can be controversial and there is variability in the enactment of injury prevention laws across the country. In general, laws are most effective when they are based on good research evidence, supported by widespread public awareness and education, and maintained by consistent enforcement strategies. The purpose of this study was to document and compare key informants' perceptions of the quality, awareness, and enforcement of three evidence-based paediatric injury prevention policies (bicycle helmet legislation, child booster seat legislation, graduated driver licensing) among Canadian provinces and territories.

METHODS

We identified best practices related to each policy, then developed an online survey to ascertain the extent to which each jurisdiction's policy aligned with best practices, whether experts believed that the public was aware of the policy and whether it was enforced. The survey was distributed using a snowball sampling strategy to key informants across Canada.

RESULTS

Thirty-eight key informants responded to the bicycle helmet survey, with 73 and 35 key informants for the booster seat and graduated driver licensing surveys, respectively. Respondent's perceptions of the policies varied substantially. Key informants indicated that residents are not always aware of legislation, and legislation is not consistently enforced. These results suggest that child health policy is not always guided by evidence.

CONCLUSIONS

There was variation between evidence and the policies related to paediatric injury prevention among Canadian provinces and territories. Experts generally rate their policies more highly when they align with evidence and best practice. There is room for improvement and harmonization of injury prevention policies.

Graduated Driver Licensing: An international review

Graduated driver licensing (GDL) aims to gradually increase the exposure of new drivers to more complex driving situations and typically consists of learner, provisional and open licence phases. The first phase, the learner licence, is designed to allow novice drivers to obtain practical driving experience in lower risk situations. The learner licence can delay licensure, encourage novice drivers to learn under supervision, mandate the number of hours of practice required to progress to the next phase and encourage parental involvement. The second phase, the provisional licence, establishes various driving restrictions and thereby reduces exposure to situations of higher risk, such as driving at night, with passengers or after drinking alcohol. Parental involvement with a GDL system appears essential in helping novices obtain sufficient practice and in enforcing compliance with restrictions once the new driver obtains a provisional licence. Given the significant number of young drivers involved in crashes within Oman, GDL is one countermeasure that may be beneficial in reducing crash risk and involvement for this group.

Parenting adolescent drivers is both a continuation of parenting from earlier periods and an anticipation of a new challenge

Greater parental involvement in the driving process and greater parent-imposed limits on novice adolescent drivers hold promise for reducing driving fatalities. However, relatively little is known about why some parents are more involved in the driving process than others. Driving-specific parenting may be both a continuation of established patterns of parenting and a response to a novel developmental task. Adolescents (n=242, M age 15.4 years, 49% male) who were enrolled in a drivers' education courses and their parents (n=276, 70% mothers) completed questionnaires reporting pre-driving parenting styles and monitoring behaviors; the adolescents' previous driving experiences; perceptions of risks for novice adolescent drivers; attitudes regarding parental involvement; and expected levels of limit-setting and autonomy attainment once adolescents begins driving. Parents' and adolescents' involvement attitudes and expectations for limits on driving and autonomy attainment were linked in multivariate models with established patterns of parenting and perceptions of risk. The discussion emphasizes implications for prevention and intervention efforts to increase parental involvement and limits.

Long-term effect of the North Carolina graduated driver licensing system on licensed driver crash incidence: a 5-year survival analysis

Several studies document the success of graduated driver licensing (GDL) systems in reducing young teen crash rates, but it is not yet clear whether any portion of the crash reduction is achieved by producing more capable drivers. The purpose of this study was to determine whether young teen drivers licensed under the North Carolina GDL system remain crash-free longer than those licensed prior to GDL, independent of the crude reductions in exposure (i.e., decreasing and delaying licensure) that may be responsible for most documented effects of GDL. Survival analysis was used to compare retrospective cohorts of 16-17 year olds before (n=105,569) and after (n=327,054) the North Carolina GDL system was implemented. The crash incidence of GDL-licensed 16-17 year olds (combined) was 10% lower than that for pre-GDL teens for at least 5 years after being licensed to drive independently (hazard ratio [HR]=0.90; 95% confidence interval [CI]=0.89, 0.91). However, more refined analysis revealed the reductions to only be among females (7%; HR=0.93; CI=0.91, 0.94) and males (15%; HR=0.85, CI=0.84, 0.87) licensed at age 16 and not among females (0%; HR=1.00; CI=0.95, 1.06) and males (0%; HR=1.00; CI=0.92, 1.09) licensed at age 17. Sixteen-year-old drivers licensed under the North Carolina GDL system experienced lower first-crash incidence during the first 5 years of unsupervised driving than did those licensed under the previous system. The benefits are greater for males, who tend to have higher crash rates. The findings contradict conventional wisdom that the entire benefit of GDL results merely from decreasing or delaying licensure among young drivers.

D'Angelo LJ, Halpern-Felsher BL, Abraham A. Adolescents and driving: a position paper of the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine

Motor vehicle crashes continue to be the leading cause of mortality and severe morbidity among adolescents and young adults. All states have changed their drivers' licensure laws to make the process of obtaining a license more protracted and focused on the development of safe driving skills. Health care providers who counsel children and adolescents should actively address safe driving with them, and also involve their parents in this discussion. Additionally, they should also advocate for strict and uniform graduated licensure laws.

Crash involvement during the different phases of the New Zealand Graduated Driver Licensing System (GDLS)

INTRODUCTION

The New Zealand Graduated Driver Licensing System (GDLS) is designed to allow novice drivers to gain driving experience under conditions of reduced risk.

METHOD

To examine the effectiveness of the GDLS, an analysis of how the crash involvement of novice drivers changes as drivers move through the GDLS was undertaken. Crash profiles were created by data matching the New Zealand license and crash databases, covering a time period from 1999-2006.

RESULTS

The crash profiles show that the initial learner period of the GDLS is relatively safe and the time at which novice drivers have the highest rate of crash involvement is during the first few months of solo driving. Analysis using logistic regression also showed an effect of age and gender, with higher crash involvement associated with younger drivers and males. In addition, individuals who gained a full license within 12-18 months of holding a restricted license, due to completion of a time-discount associated educational program, had a higher level of involvement in crashes than individuals who gained a full license after 18 months.

CONCLUSIONS

The crash profiles provide an insight into the crash risk associated with different phases of the New Zealand GDLS.

IMPACT ON INDUSTRY

Increasing the age at which drivers first begin to solo drive and the removal of the time-discount associated with completion of an educational program should be considered.

Does knowledge of teen driving risks and awareness of current law translate into support for stronger GDL provisions? Lessons learned from one state

OBJECTIVE

Many states are considering strengthening their graduated driving licensing (GDL) systems for teenage drivers but most do not know the level of public support for proposed upgrades. This study provides a method for states to identify specific demographic groups that may differ with regard to their awareness of teen driving risks, knowledge of current GDL law, and support for GDL upgrades.

METHODS

A 28-item questionnaire was administered to Connecticut adults by phone survey during January 2008. We collected demographic information and whether respondents understood driving risks, were aware of the current GDL system, and whether they would support GDL upgrades. The state's motor vehicle crash file (1999-2006) was used to calculate motor vehicle crash rate among 16- and 17-year-old drivers by town and correlate that with support for GDL upgrades.

RESULTS

Eight hundred seven people were interviewed. More women than men (92% vs. 86%, p < .05) and more parents than other adults (96% vs. 84%, p < .01) were aware of the current learner's permit law. Female respondents (55% vs. 43%, p < .01) and adults who were not parents (54% vs. 45%, p < .05) were more likely to support increasing the minimum driving age. Parents were more aware than other adults (91% vs. 73%, p < .01) of the supervised driving provision. Women were more supportive of a supervised driving upgrade (83% vs. 69, p < .01). There was more support for a night restriction upgrade among other adults than parents (59% vs. 51%, p < .05), and the lowest support was in affluent towns (38%). Two thirds supported a passenger restriction upgrade with no differences based upon sex or geographic location. There was less support for an increased penalties in Fairfield County when compared to all other counties (55% vs. 63%, p < .05) and more support in Hartford County versus all other counties (70% vs. 58%, p < .05).

CONCLUSIONS

Parents of Connecticut teens were more knowledgeable of current law but less supportive of GDL upgrades compared to other adults. Women were more apt to favor GDL upgrades than men. This study identifies subgroups that can be targeted for prevention activities and illustrates a useful method to assess public support for GDL upgrades.

How do car crashes happen among young drivers aged 18-20 years? Typical circumstances in relation to license status, alcohol impairment and injury consequences

AIM

The study aims to clarify the most typical circumstances in which car crashes involving young drivers and leading to the occurrence of injuries and to consider the various licensing statuses of the drivers in such crashes.

METHOD

Young Swedish drivers born between 1984 and 1986 were followed up in the Police register (2003-2004) for their involvement in car crashes as drivers (n=2448). A set of five variables (25 categories) descriptive of those crashes was analyzed simultaneously by means of cluster analysis. Associations between crash clusters and licensing status (including none), licensing duration and alcohol involvement were also measured.

RESULTS

Five clusters were identified, typical of one or some specific crash type(s): single-vehicle in sparsely populated areas, front-on collisions, crashes at dawn or at dusk, turning, cars of later model, crashes in urban areas and speed limits below 50 km/h. Clusters differ in consequences and in the proportions of alcohol impaired drivers involved but not regarding proportions of novice drivers. Unlicensed drivers were found in excess in some clusters (especially single and night time crashes).

CONCLUSION

Young drivers are involved in crashes leading to injuries in rather specific circumstances. For some of them, novice drivers or even unlicensed drivers are over-represented, which points to the need for targeted counter-measures, alongside those general ones already in place.

Improving graduated driver licensing systems: a conceptual approach and its implications

Graduated driver licensing (GDL) is a concept for how to transform non-drivers into reasonably safe drivers while minimizing the risks as they learn. Several state GDL programs can be improved by moving their structures closer to an adequate implementation of that concept. The learner stage of a GDL system needs to be long enough for beginners to obtain a thorough introduction to the vagaries of driving. The second or intermediate stage needs to effectively limit exposure to known high risk conditions as novices adapt to being fully in charge of the vehicle. The benefits of GDL to date are due almost entirely to the risk-reducing conditions it implements. To improve the functioning of GDL will probably require a better understanding of teen driving than we presently have. The likelihood of further gains will be enhanced by efforts to learn more about the actual causes of teen crashes, the nature and type of teen driver exposures, and what parents do with their teens during the supervised driving stage of GDL. Without a better understanding of these, and other, phenomena it will be difficult to further reduce crashes among young beginning drivers, whether through GDL enhancements or with other approaches.

Novice teen driving: GDL and beyond

The Symposium on Novice Teen Driving: GDL and Beyond--Research Foundations for Policy and Practice, held in Tucson, AZ, on February 5-7, 2007, provided a detailed overview of graduated driver licensing (GDL) and other beginning driver issues in the United States. This paper summarizes the information presented at the Symposium and in its background papers.

IMPACT ON INDUSTRY

This information and summary should help all interested persons and organizations, including industry, in their efforts to improve GDL and teen driver programs in the United States, which in turn will further reduce traffic crashes and fatalities involving teenage drivers.