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21 States Must Pass Graduated Licenses To Save Lives, AAA Says

21 April 1999

21 States Must Pass Graduated Licenses To Save Lives, AAA Says

    SAN DIEGO, April 21 -- Concerned with the extraordinary crash
rates that persist among novice drivers, AAA appealed to 21 states to pass
graduated driver licensing.
    Due in part to the AAA "Licensed to Learn: A Safety Program for New
Drivers" campaign, 29 states now have at least some form of GDL on the books.
    The remaining states that do not have graduated driver licensing are:
Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Mississippi,
Missouri, Montana, Nevada, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas,
Vermont, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
    Delegates to AAA's 96th Annual Meeting here said that these states are
granting unrestricted driving privileges to teen-age drivers before they have
developed safe driving skills, values and attitudes.
    When driving privileges are phased in gradually, responsible driver
behavior is fostered and strengthened, AAA said.
    Traffic crashes are the leading cause of death among 15- to 20-year olds
and are responsible for nearly one-third of the deaths in this age group, AAA
said.
    AAA first announced its Licensed to Learn campaign in 1997, recommending
that all states adopt a three-stage graduated license program for novice
drivers consisting of (1) learner's permit, (2) intermediate/probationary
license and (3) full, unrestricted license.

    Such programs should make provision for:
    * Extended learner's permits and intermediate/probationary license,
permitting novice drivers additional time to practice before receiving an
unrestricted license.
    * Establishing relevant and timely restrictions on driving, particularly
on nighttime driving during early stages of licensing.
    * Imposing meaningful sanctions against serious or cumulative traffic
violations, especially those involving driving while impaired by alcohol or
other drugs.  Fines and penalties for at-fault crashes, convictions and
traffic infractions should be imposed at a lower point count for novice
drivers than experienced drivers.
    * Granting additional driving privileges only after development of skills,
values and attitudes that lead to safe driving habits, violation-free driving
records and increased driving proficiency.
    * Convenient access to supplemental training programs preferably utilizing
state-of-the-art instructional technology.
    * Parent/guardian involvement in education and training, particularly in
supervised driving practice.
    * Limits on numbers and ages of passengers.

    AAA is a not-for-profit federation of 91 clubs with 1,100 offices
providing its nearly 42 million members in the United States and Canada with
travel, financial, insurance and auto related services.