Abstract
BackgroundYoung novice drivers have crash rates higher than any other age group. To address this problem, graduated driver licensing (GDL) laws have been implemented in the United States to require an extended learner permit phase, and create night time driving or passenger restrictions for adolescent drivers. GDL allows adolescents to gain experience driving under low-risk conditions with the aim of reducing crashes. The restricted driving might increase riding with parents or on buses, which might be safer, or walking or biking, which might be more dangerous. We examined whether GDL increases non-driver travels, and whether it reduces total travels combining drivers and non-drivers.MethodsWe used data from the US National Household Travel Survey for the years 1995–1996, 2001–2002, and 2008–2009 to estimate the adjusted ratio for the number of trips and trip kilometers made by persons exposed to a GDL law, compared with those not exposed.ResultsAdolescents aged 16 years had fewer trips and kilometers as drivers when exposed to a GDL law: ratio 0.84 (95 % confidence interval (CI) 0.71, 1.00) for trips; 0.79 (0.63, 0.98) for kilometers. For adolescents aged 17 years, the trip ratio was 0.94 (0.83, 1.07) and the kilometers ratio 0.80 (0.63, 1.03). There was little association between GDL laws and trips or kilometers traveled by other methods: ratio 1.03 for trips and 1.00 for kilometers for age 16 years, 0.94 for trips and 1.07 for kilometers for age 17.ConclusionsIf these associations are causal, GDL laws reduced driving kilometers by about 20 % for 16 and 17 year olds, and reduced the number of driving trips by 16 % among 16 year olds. GDL laws showed little relationship with trips by other methods.
Highlights
Young novice drivers have crash rates higher than any other age group
Adolescents aged 16 years had fewer trips and kilometers as drivers when exposed to a graduated driver licensing (GDL) law: ratio 0.84 (95 % confidence interval (CI) 0.71, 1.00) for trips; 0.79 (0.63, 0.98) for kilometers (Table 2)
Adolescents aged 17 years showed little change in the number of driver trips, but a reduction in driving kilometers when exposed to a GDL law: ratio 0.94 (0.83, 1.07) for trips; 0.80 (0.63, 1.03) for kilometers
Summary
Young novice drivers have crash rates higher than any other age group To address this problem, graduated driver licensing (GDL) laws have been implemented in the United States to require an extended learner permit phase, and create night time driving or passenger restrictions for adolescent drivers. Few studies have tried to quantify the extent to which GDL laws affect driving, the use of alternative transportation (riding as a passenger, use of buses, bicycling, and walking), or the total number of trips [12, 13]. Adolescents in California were reported to use the following transportation alternatives to adapt to the nighttime and passenger restrictions: have a parent or older adult as a supervising passenger; use of walking, biking, and bus; move their travel time to daytime; or violate the restriction [12]. We examined the total travels combining drivers and nondrivers
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