AAA Texas Urges Legislature to Create Graduated Driver Licensing for Texas
28 June 2000
AAA Texas Urges Legislature to Create Graduated Driver Licensing for Texas
AUSTIN, Texas - AAA Texas strongly supports the implementation of a comprehensive graduated driver licensing system for new teenage drivers. Today, AAA Texas urged state representatives to consider graduated licensing in Texas and commended the House of Representatives for continuing to study the issue through the Transportation Committee during the period between legislative sessions."Automobile accidents are the number one cause of death for Texas teens. We believe a graduated driver licensing system in Texas will help decrease the number of collisions involving teenagers and help save lives," says Alice Bisno, director of legislative affairs for AAA Texas. "Graduated licensing will allow Texas teens to gain greater driving experience in supervised and lower-risk driving situations, which will result in fewer crashes."
In Texas, automobile crashes are the number one cause of death for teens. In 1998, 348 teenagers aged 15 through 18 died in motor vehicle crashes. More than 40,000 others suffered injuries. Generally, the majority of teens injured in crashes are in cars driven by other teens.
So far, 31 states, the District of Columbia and several foreign countries have adopted a three-stage graduated driver licensing system which usually includes the following:
-- Minimum six-month instruction phase with a mandatory 50 hours
of supervised driving practice (including 10 at night), in
addition to current classroom and behind-the-wheel education
requirements. Today, a Texas teen can get a license with only
seven hours behind-the-wheel time.
-- No unsupervised late night driving (preferably between 9 or 10
p.m. to 5 a.m.) for the first year. Exceptions can be made for
employment purposes or school-related activities.
-- Limit on young passengers for the first six months or one
year, so the teen can gain experience without the distraction
of young passengers.
-- Some period of time (three months up to one year) free of
at-fault crashes and traffic convictions before moving to the
next phase.
In addition to the 31 states mentioned earlier, eleven other states have adopted some, but not all, of the components of the graduated driver license system.
Research shows that graduated licensing saves lives. Florida reported a 9% reduction in fatal and injury crashes for 15-17 year olds during the first year of its new law. California, which has one of the most comprehensive GDL laws in the country, recorded a reduction of 17% in at fault injury and fatal crashes for 15 and 16 year olds during the first nine months of 1999, when this group of drivers was fully covered by the new law.
In 1998, 89% of AAA Texas members surveyed favored enactment of a mandatory graduated driver licensing system for novice drivers. In 1999, 91% felt the same way.
AAA Texas has been serving Texans since 1905. Today, AAA Texas has more than 870,000 members offering them a full-service travel agency, auto-related and financial services, as well as public safety programs and legislative advocacy.
