21 States Must Pass Graduated Licenses To Save Lives, AAA Says
21 April 1999
21 States Must Pass Graduated Licenses To Save Lives, AAA SaysSAN 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.