Graduated Driver Licensing Works, but More Must Be Done

Licensing laws for novice drivers are much tougher than they were a decade ago, but a new analysis of crash data during that time reveals there is still opportunity to improve the safety of teen drivers on the road today.

The analysis, conducted by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, shows that young drivers comprise slightly more than one-third of all fatalities in crashes in which they are involved, whereas nearly two-thirds of those killed are other passengers, vehicle users and pedestrians.

What does it all mean? Nationally, nearly 31,000 people died in crashes involving teen drivers during the past decade. Of those, 11,177 were drivers between the ages of 15 and 17. But the total also includes 9,847 passengers of the teen drivers, 7,477 occupants of vehicles which were operated by drivers at least 18 years of age, and 2,323 non-motorists, most of whom were pedestrians.

Oregon, based on its teen driving record compared to national data, emerges as one of the "good" states. According to the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) Traffic Safety Division, teen driver involvement in fatal or injury crashes has declined steadily since GDL went into effect in 2000. In 1998, 1,158 16-year old drivers and 1,497 17-year old drivers were involved in fatal or injury crashes. In 2000, following enactment of GDL, the fatal/injury crash totals for 16-year old drivers dropped to 873 and to 1,201 for 17-year old drivers.

Consistent annual incident reductions confirmed that GDL works in Oregon. In 2004, only 679 16-year old drivers were involved in a fatal or injury crash. That's a 41.4% reduction since 1998. For the 17-year old driver age group, the performance was almost as impressive. Only 960 were involved in a fatal or injury crash, 35.9% fewer since 1998.

Currently, drivers 15-19 years of age account for approximately 5% of all drivers licensed in Oregon, but they were involved in 11.4% of the state's fatal or injury accidents.

While these statistics are encouraging, more must and can be done. Throughout the state, only 95 public schools, 8 community colleges and 14 commercial schools provide driver training. According to ODOT, less than a quarter of all 15-year olds enrolled in Oregon schools complete a driver education program. Thirty-six thousand received no formal driver training whatsoever. Obviously, more driver training programs must become accessible to Oregon families. In the meantime, parents and guardians must play a strong role in teaching their teens to drive safely and strictly enforce the provisions of GDL.