Graduated Driver Licensing Research Articles

Situation Awareness Fast-Tracking, Including Identifying Escape Routes (SAFER): Evaluation of the Impact of SAFER on Learner Driver Situation Awareness Skills

Despite a plethora of education, engineering, and enforcement-related intervention, the pernicious problem that is young driver road safety remains of global interest. Compared with more experienced drivers, young novice drivers have been found to have deficits in situation awareness skills (SAS), which is an essential repertoire of knowledge and abilities in perceiving, comprehending, and appropriately responding to a breadth of driving risks (projection). Current practice requirements in Queensland, Australia, do not incorporate SAS-specific training for parents, the most common supervisor of novice drivers. This study evaluates the impact of SAFER, a SAS-acquisition acceleration “game” in which parents foster SAS in their child during the period before licensure, on novice driver SAS at learner licensure. Sixty parent–pre-learner dyads were recruited from the Sunshine Coast and randomly allocated to intervention ( n = 30) and control ( n = 29). Using a SAS-based coding taxonomy, SAS was measured via simulator-based verbal commentary protocol at learner licensure as part of a larger longitudinal project. Intervention learners exhibited significantly greater SAS (perception/comprehension/projection of breadth of driving risks), than control learners. Intervention learners exhibited significantly less perception, and considerably greater perception/comprehension/projection SAS than intervention parents. Currently, in Queensland’s licensing program there is limited support for parents/other supervisors of learner drivers, and no SAS-focused intervention is available. SAFER is an innovative SAS-acquisition acceleration intervention that has been shown to build SAS even before the young novice is licensed to drive. A larger state-wide pilot is in development to explore the merit of incorporating SAFER within Queensland’s graduated driver licensing program.

Effects of Share the Keys (STK), a comprehensive, behavioral-based training program for parents and new teen drivers in New Jersey

The New Jersey Graduated Driver License (GDL) restrictions were updated in 2010 with changes that included a more active role of parents monitoring practice driving with their teens. In addition to extending the driving phases, there were new curfew and passenger limit restrictions. Teen drivers were also required to use red decals on license plates to identify themselves as inexperienced drivers. The Division of Highway Traffic Safety had partnered with the Motor Vehicle Commission in the past to produce practice driving guides for parents of teen drivers, but recognized the need to support this type of informational campaign with an educational program for helping parents to understand changes in the GDL and recognize the importance of their role in the GDL monitoring process. In 2010, the New Jersey Parent/Teen Driver Orientation program was developed to educate parents of teen drivers on the new GDL restrictions and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) findings concerning the importance of parenting roles in teen driver safety. Additional resources were incorporated into the orientation that included the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) community based information and the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI) parent-teen driver contracts.This community-based training, known as the New Jersey Parent/Teen Driver Orientation was later renamed Share the Keys, and had been developed for the state as a component of the New Jersey Highway Safety grant received by Kean University. The comprehensive program was designed to engage parents, teens, educators, and law enforcement in the teen driving process and help parents to understand how personal parenting styles and engagement may impact teen crash risk and compliance with the GDL restrictions. Local representatives from traffic safety and law enforcement teamed with school officials and driver education teachers to present programs in their communities. The evaluation process was built into the program as a pre-survey administered at the beginning of the session, a post-survey completed directly afterward, and a voluntary follow-up survey completed on line or mailed, beginning six months later.Evidence from the first year showed that parents maintained a significant level of engagement throughout the GDL process with their teen drivers. However, findings did establish the need to further examine why Authoritative parenting styles had declined, especially since this parenting approach was considered in the literature as most effective in reducing teen crash risks. Therefore, the scope of this study was broadened to a three year effort that reached over 2800 parents and investigated behavioral outcomes impacted by Share the Keys. While comparisons made between driving phases and parenting styles had yielded no significant results, changes within parenting style scores were shown to be effective over time. The reported levels of Permissive and Uninvolved parents remained consistent throughout all three driving phases, while Authoritarian parenting peaked during the Probationary phase, and Authoritative parenting was noted as highest once teens earned their license.

Is a driver\u2019s license age waiver worth a teen\u2019s life?

BackgroundMotor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for teens 14–19 years of age, with younger teen drivers at higher risk than older teens. Graduated driver licensing has been proven to reduce teen driver-related motor vehicle crashes and fatalities. Arkansas allows parents to request age waivers, which allow a teen to obtain a license for independent driving before the sixteenth birthday. The objectives of this study were to: (1) determine the prevalence of age waivers issued in Arkansas and (2) determine motor vehicle crash risks associated with 14 and 15 year old drivers.MethodsThis is a brief report on an informative query exploring risk factors related to age waivers. Publicly available databases were utilized for across state comparisons. The Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting Systems (WISQARS) was utilized to calculate motor vehicle crash crude death rates. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data were utilized to identify seat belt use rates. The Fatal Analysis Reporting System (FARS) was utilized to identify crash fatality risks for 14 and 15 year old drivers in Arkansas (N = 24). Age waiver data were obtained from the Arkansas Driver Control Administration. De-identified data on fatal crashes and rates of age waiver issuance in Arkansas for 14 and 15 year olds from 2004 through 2016 were calculated.ResultsWe reviewed crash data for 14 and 15 year old drivers in Arkansas between 2004 and 2014 to determine fatality risks. Thirty-one out of seventy-five counties in Arkansas were above the state age waiver issuance rate of 30.4 per 1000 14 to 15 year old teens. Among the four states that had similar age waivers for 14 to 15 year olds, Arkansas had the highest motor vehicle death rate of 10.2 per 100,000 young teens and the lowest seat belt use rate at 73%.ConclusionsArkansas had the highest reported teen crash fatality rates among 4 states with age waivers. The volume of age waivers issued in Arkansas is concerning. Further research is needed to understand parental motivation when asking for age waivers and their level of awareness of the risks involved.

Multi-player online simulated driving game to improve hazard perception

Young and inexperienced drivers are disproportionately involved in all car crashes. Although programs such as graduated driver licensing have reduced the fatality rates, they still remain unacceptably high for novice drivers as compared to older and experienced drivers. One of the most critical skills related to accident avoidance is the detection, recognition and reaction to traffic hazards, called hazard perception. There have been numerous attempts to improve novice drivers’ hazard perception skills through computer-based simulation programs. However, none of them had multi-user capability incorporating video commentaries by experts adapted to drivers’ mistakes except for a game-based, multi-user, online, simulated training (GMOST) program (Arslanyilmaz, Stillman, and Costello, 2014) developed to examine the effect of GMOST on hazard perception skills. In this pilot study, sample size was too small and duration of the experiment was too short for a significant result (Arslanyilmaz et al., 2014). In addition, the effects of video commentaries were not investigated. The first objective of this study is to showcase an improved version of GMOST. The second objective is to measure the effectiveness GMOST has on young drivers’ hazard perception skills, specifically on their ability to detect and respond to hazards as well as scanning the roads for potential hazards. The third objective is to examine the effects of video commentaries on hazard perception skills. The fourth objective is to explore and identify hazard types that are more affected by video commentaries, leading to better hazard perception skills.

Young Driver Compliance With Graduated Driver Licensing Restrictions Before and After Implementation of a Decal Provision

PurposeIn May 2010, New Jersey implemented the first-in-the-nation decal provision to increase intermediate drivers' compliance with Graduated Driver Licensing restrictions and ultimately reduce young driver crashes. We previously found that the provision was associated with a 9.5% decline in crash rates. This study evaluates whether the decal provision was associated with an increase in compliance with passenger and nighttime restrictions. MethodsWe analyzed New Jersey driver licensing and crash data from 2008 through 2012. We used the quasi-induced exposure method to estimate prevalence of noncompliance among 20,593 nonresponsible 17- to 20-year-old intermediate drivers involved in crashes. Multivariate log-binomial regression models compared the monthly prevalence of noncompliance with restrictions pre and post implementation, adjusted for age, sex, season, and area income and population density. Analyses were conducted in 2016–2017. ResultsOverall estimated noncompliance with the nighttime restriction was 1.75% before and 1.71% after the decal provision (p = .83). Noncompliance with the passenger restriction was 8.68% before and 8.31% after (p = .35). Introduction of the decal provision was not associated with a change in noncompliance rates. ConclusionsCompliance rates among New Jersey intermediate drivers were high both before and after the decal provision. Findings do not suggest that the decline in crash rates following implementation was because of increased compliance with nighttime or passenger driving restrictions. Additional research is needed to understand mechanisms by which decal provisions may reduce young driver crashes.

The Effects of the Graduated Driver Licensing Restrictions on Teenage Obesity

The Effects of the Graduated Driver Licensing Restrictions on Teenage Obesity

Cyclist-related content in novice driver education and training

In Australia, the increasing public profile and policy interest in cycling contrasts with variable cycling participation rates across jurisdictions (Australian Bicycle Council, 2017) and lack of cyclist-specific infrastructure. Cyclists and drivers often share road space, usually without indication from the built environment about how to maximise each other’s safety and utility. Yet despite this regular interaction, cyclists are largely absent from the driver licensing process in Australia. That is, novice drivers are not taught how to share the road with cyclists. This case study used a mixed methods approach to examine the cyclist-related content in the Graduated Driver Licensing System (GDLS) in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). The case study was conducted in four stages: 1) content analysis of all documents used through the GDLS; 2) observations of the Road Ready course and learner driver lessons; 3) online survey; and, 4) semi-structured interviews. Cyclists are rarely mentioned in the GDLS in the ACT and references often constructed cyclists as problematic or were based in instructors’ personal opinion (rather than scripted responses). Outcomes from this study have directly informed a new vulnerable road user driver licence competency in the ACT and findings include recommendations for greater inclusion of cyclists in the driver licensing system.

Graduated driver licensing and differential deterrence: The effect of license type on intentions to violate road rules

In keeping with the differential deterrence theory, this article assesses the moderating effect of license type on the relationship between social control and intention to violate road rules. More precisely, the article has two objectives: (1) to assess the effect of license type on intentions to infringe road rules; and (2) to pinpoint mechanisms of social control affecting intentions to violate road rules based on one’s type of driver license (a restricted license or a full license). This effect is examined among a sample of 392 young drivers in the province of Quebec, Canada. Drivers taking part in the Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) program have limited demerit points and there is zero tolerance for drinking-and-driving. Propensity score matching techniques were used to assess the effect of the license type on intentions to violate road rules and on various mechanisms of social control. Regression analyses were then conducted to estimate the moderating effect of license type. Average treatment effects from propensity score matching analyses indicate that respondents with a restricted license have lower levels of intention to infringe road rules. While moral commitment and, to a lesser extent, the perceived risk of arrest are both negatively associated with intentions to violate road rules, the license type moderates the relationship between delinquent peers and intentions to violate road rules. The effect of delinquent peers is reduced among respondents with a restricted driver license. Finally, a diminished capability to resist peer pressure could explain the increased crash risk in months following full licensing.

A multiyear assessment of a hospital-school program to promote teen motor vehicle safety.

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among teen drivers. The main goal of this program was to reduce texting while driving among high school teens through a unique peer-generated anti-texting campaign. The program consisted of two phases. In phase 1, student leaders participated in a half-day, hospital-based experiential program that emphasized safe teen driving. In phase 2, these students conceptualized and implemented an anti-texting while driving campaign during the school year. The program enrolled 32 schools with 137 student participants in phase 1. This study uses a prospective quasi-experimental pre-post design. A presurvey and a follow-up online survey were used. Response rate was 81%. In phase 2, two rounds of observations of drivers were made near the participating schools at the beginning and end of the phase 2 campaign. The results were analyzed using proportion tests. There was a strong belief (6.49 on a seven-point scale) that texting while driving could result in a crash. About 58% had texted while driving in the previous 7 days in the pre-survey. This proportion decreased significantly to 44% in the follow-up (p < 0.05). Knowledge of Tennessee Graduated Driver Licensing laws and feeling of empowerment to take action with a teen driver who was texting improved significantly (p < 0.05). In phase 2, 12,309 drivers (adults and teens) were observed in the first round, and 13,153 were observed in the second round of observations. Significant reduction in the proportion of drivers texting while driving (from 13% to 9%; p < 0.0001) was observed. Results of driver observations support the effectiveness of this program in meeting the key objective of reducing texting while driving. The program also influenced teenagers' willingness to take positive steps when faced with a driver who was texting. Future efforts should aim to influence social and peer norms. Therapeutic study, level IV.

Characteristics of Single Vehicle Crashes with a Teen Driver in South Carolina, 2005–2008

ObjectiveTeens’ crash risk is highest in the first years of independent driving. Circumstances surrounding fatal crashes have been widely documented, but less is known about factors related to nonfatal teen driver crashes. This study describes single vehicle nonfatal crashes involving the youngest teen drivers (15–17 years), compares these crashes to single vehicle nonfatal crashes among adult drivers (35–44 years) and examines factors related to nonfatal injury producing crashes for teen drivers. MethodsPolice crash data linked to hospital inpatient and emergency department data for 2005–2008 from the South Carolina Crash Outcomes Data Evaluation System (CODES) were analyzed. Nonfatal, single vehicle crashes involving passenger vehicles occurring on public roadways for teen (15–17 years) drivers were compared with those for adult (35–44 years) drivers on temporal patterns and crash risk factors per licensed driver and per vehicle miles traveled. Vehicle miles traveled by age group was estimated using data from the 2009 National Household Travel Survey. Multivariable log-linear regression analysis was conducted for teen driver crashes to determine which characteristics were related to crashes resulting in a minor/moderate injury or serious injury to at least one vehicle occupant. ResultsCompared with adult drivers, teen drivers in South Carolina had 2.5 times the single vehicle nonfatal crash rate per licensed driver and 11 times the rate per vehicle mile traveled. Teen drivers were nearly twice as likely to be speeding at the time of the crash compared with adult drivers. Teen driver crashes per licensed driver were highest during the afternoon hours of 3:00–5:59 pm and crashes per mile driven were highest during the nighttime hours of 9:00–11:59 pm. In 66% of the teen driver crashes, the driver was the only occupant. Crashes were twice as likely to result in serious injury when teen passengers were present than when the teen driver was alone. When teen drivers crashed while transporting teen passengers, the passengers were >5 times more likely to all be restrained if the teen driver was restrained. Crashes in which the teen driver was unrestrained were 80% more likely to result in minor/moderate injury and 6 times more likely to result in serious injury compared with crashes in which the teen driver was restrained. ConclusionsDespite the reductions in teen driver crashes associated with Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL), South Carolina’s teen driver crash rates remain substantially higher than those for adult drivers. Established risk factors for fatal teen driver crashes, including restraint nonuse, transporting teen passengers, and speeding also increase the risk of nonfatal injury in single vehicle crashes. As South Carolina examines strategies to further reduce teen driver crashes and associated injuries, the state could consider updating its GDL passenger restriction to either none or one passenger <21years and dropping the passenger restriction exemption for trips to and from school. Surveillance systems such as CODES that link crash data with health outcome data provide needed information to more fully understand the circumstances and consequences of teen driver nonfatal crashes and evaluate the effectiveness of strategies to improve teen driver safety.

Comparison of older and younger novice driver crash rates: Informing the need for extended Graduated Driver Licensing restrictions

BackgroundFew previous studies have directly compared crash rates of older and younger novice drivers. To inform discussion about whether Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) policies that are applied in the US for younger novice drivers should be applied to older novice drivers, we conducted a longitudinal study to examine overall, nighttime, and multiple passenger crash rates over the initial four years of licensure differ for novice drivers licensed at different ages. MethodsUsing data from the New Jersey Traffic Safety Outcomes (NJ-TSO) data warehouse, we selected all NJ drivers who obtained their initial intermediate driver’s license from 2006 through 2014 and had at least one month of follow-up from the date of licensure to study end or death (n=1,034,835). Novice drivers were grouped based on age at licensure: age 17; 18–20; 21–24; and 25 or older. We estimated monthly rates for overall crashes (per 10,000 licensed drivers) as well as: late night crashes (11:01 p.m.–4:59 a.m.); early night crashes (9:00 p.m.–11:00 p.m.); and multiple passenger crashes (two or more passengers). Average monthly rates were calculated for specific relevant time periods and Poisson regression models were used to compare rates: (1) between novice driver groups with the same time since licensure; (2) over the first 48 months of licensure within each novice driver group; and (3) between same-aged 21-year-old drivers with varying lengths of licensure. ResultsAlthough initial (three months post-licensure) overall crash rates of novice NJ drivers age 21 and older were higher than rates of same-aged experienced drivers, they were substantially lower than initial rates for 17- to 20-year-old novice drivers, who are licensed under GDL policies. Moreover, older novice drivers experience much less steep crash reductions over the first year of licensure than younger novice drivers. Nighttime crash rates among the 21- to 24-year old and aged 25 and older novice driver groups were stable over the first year of licensure. For novice drivers under age 21, early night crash rates declined rapidly over the course of licensure, while changes in late night crashes were much smaller. First-year multiple passenger crash rates were highest for drivers licensed at age 18–20, and novice driver groups experienced varying amounts of reduction in multiple passenger crashes over time. ConclusionsStudy findings support NJ’s current GDL policies for 17- to 20-year-old novice drivers and the potential for added benefits from beginning the nighttime restriction at 9:00 p.m. Conversely, there was a lack of compelling evidence for additional policies for drivers licensed at age 21–24 and no evidence to indicate a need for additional GDL policies for NJ novices aged 25 years and older.

Evaluation of risk change-point for novice teenage drivers

The driving risk of novice teenagers is the highest during the initial period after licensure but decreases rapidly. This paper applies two recurrent-event change-point models to detect the time of change in driving risks. The models are based on a non-homogeneous Poisson process with piecewise constant intensity functions. We show that the maximum likelihood estimators of the change-points can only occur at the event times and they are consistent. A simulation study is conducted to demonstrate the model performance under different scenarios. The proposed models are applied to the Naturalistic Teenage Driving Study, which continuously recorded in situ driving behaviour of 42 novice teenage drivers for the first 18 months after licensure using sophisticated in-vehicle instrumentation. The results indicate that approximately half of the drivers have lower risk after 73.0h of independent driving after licensure while the risk for others increases. On the average the driving risk deceases after the change-point. The results provide critical information for safety education, safety countermeasure development, and Graduated Driver Licensing policy making.

Graduated Driver Licensing for Older Novice Drivers: Critical Analysis of the Issues

Graduated Driver Licensing for Older Novice Drivers: Critical Analysis of the Issues

Graduated driver licensing (GDL) in the United States in 2016: A literature review and commentary

This is the sixth in a series of reviews of research on graduated driver licensing (GDL) published in the Journal of Safety Research, the present review covering the period mid-2012 through 2016. In the two decades since GDL programs began to be introduced on a widespread basis in the United States, a vast amount of research has been published. The current review discusses recent research and the present state of knowledge on the following topics: characteristics of the novice driver population; effects of GDL on crashes for ages 16–19; the learner and intermediate periods; night and passenger restrictions; cellphone laws; GDL for older novices; enforcement of GDL rules; and programs attempting to influence GDL compliance and safe driving practices in general. GDL stands out as a successful policy for reducing teen driver crashes and is worth building on to extend its benefits. Strengthening existing GDL programs has the most potential for producing further crash reductions.

Graduated Driver Licensing and Teen Fertility

This paper evaluates the effect of implementing nighttime driving curfews and passenger restrictions mandated by the graduated driver licensing (GDL) on teen fertility. Both components of GDL potentially restrict the freedom and mobility of minor drivers by requiring adult supervision. Using birth data from the National Vital Statistics NVSS and a triple differences estimation, I find that the implementation of GDL decreased fertility by 2% among mothers between the ages of 16 and 18 relative to women who were not affected by GDL at the time of conception and this effect is driven by the states with longer duration of the nighttime driving restrictions. I present evidence that this decrease in fertility is driven by a decrease in pregnancies and not by an increase in abortions.

Provisional drivers' perceptions of the impact of displaying P plates

ABSTRACTObjective: P plates (or decals) identify a driver's license status to other road users. They are a compulsory part of the graduated driver licensing system in Queensland, Australia, for drivers on a P1 (provisional 1) or P2 (provisional 2) license. This study explored the perceptions of young drivers regarding the display of P plates (decals) in Queensland, Australia.Methods: In this study, 226 young drivers with a provisional (intermediate/restricted) license completed a 30-min online survey between October 2013 and June 2014. t Tests were used to compare the opinions of people who displayed their plates nearly always with those who displayed them less frequently.Results: Participants approved of the requirement to display P plates with 69% of those on a P1 license and 79% on a P2 license supporting the condition to display P1 (red) plates. Participants on a P1 license (62%) and a P2 license (68%) also approved the requirement to display P2 (green) plates. However, young drivers also perceived that the display of P plates (measured from 1 = never to 5 = nearly all the time) enabled newly licensed drivers to be targeted by police and other drivers (those who do not always display P plates: M = 3.72, SD = 0.94; those who nearly always display P plates: M = 3.43, SD = 1.09).Conclusions: The study findings suggest that participants who nearly always display their P plates are more likely to report that having to display their plates resulted in them driving more carefully.

Pathways linking car transport for young adults and the public health in Northern Ireland: a qualitative study to inform the evaluation of graduated driver licensing

BackgroundNovice drivers are at relatively high risk of road traffic injury. There is good evidence that Graduated Driving Licensing (GDL) schemes reduce collisions rates, by reducing exposure to risk and by extending learning periods. Legislation for a proposed scheme in Northern Ireland was passed in 2016, providing an opportunity for future evaluation of the full public health impacts of a scheme in a European context within a natural experiment. This qualitative study was designed to inform the logic model for such an evaluation, and provide baseline qualitative data on the role of private cars in health and wellbeing.MethodsNine group interviews with young people aged 16–23 (N = 43) and two group interviews with parents of young people (N = 8) were conducted in a range of settings in Northern Ireland in 2015. Data were analysed using thematic content analysis.ResultsInformal car-pooling within and beyond households led to routine expectations of lift provision and uptake. Experiences of risky driving situations were widespread. In rural areas, extensive use of farm vehicles for transport needs meant many learner drivers had both early driving experience and expectations that legislation may have to be locally adapted to meet social needs. Cars were used as a site for socialising, as well as essential means of transport. Alternative modes (public transport, walking and cycling) were held in low esteem, even where available. Recall of other transport-related public health messages and parents’ existing use of GDL-type restrictions suggested GDL schemes were acceptable in principle. There was growing awareness and use of in-car technologies (telematics) used by insurance companies to reward good driving.ConclusionsKey issues to consider in evaluating the broader public health impact of GDL will include: changes in injury rates for licensed car occupants and other populations and modes; changes in exposure to risk in the licensed and general population; and impact on transport exclusion. We suggest an important pathway will be change in social norms around offering and accepting lifts and to risk-taking. The growing adoption of in-car telematics will have implications for future GDL programmes and for evaluation.

Sociodemographic, Toxicological, and Lifestyle Characteristics of Seat Belt Users in a Nationally Representative Sample of US High School Students: Results from the 2015 Youth Risk Behavior Survey

Background Seat belts prevent death and serious injury in motor vehicle crashes (MVCs), but in 2015, 47% of drivers ages 15 to 19 who died in a crash were unrestrained. Attempts to increase teenage belt use have included high-visibility enforcement (e.g. primary seat belt laws and graduated driver licensing), but limited research exists regarding lifestyle behaviors associated with regular belt use among young drivers. The objective of this study is to explore the prevalence of healthy lifestyle behaviors associated with regular seat belt use among US high school students. Methods Data were used from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s 2015 national Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS), a nationally representative sample of US high school students. The YRBS assessed seat belt use as a passenger and other lifestyle behaviors during the 30 days before the survey, for 15,561 high school students. Seat belt use was coded into a dichotomous variable (regular/always v. irregular). Chi-square tests examined bivariate associations between regular seat belt use, demographic variables, and the prevalence of the following healthy lifestyle behaviors: hours of sleep, cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption, marijuana use, illegal prescription drug use, physical activity, and regular vegetable and water consumption. Results The prevalence of regular seat belt use during the 30 days before the survey was 61%. Regular belt use was more prevalent in males (χ2=3.97; degrees of freedom=1; p=.046), positively associated with age (χ2=43.82; df=6; p Conclusions High school students who reported regularly wearing their seat belts were mostly male, older, White, and had no alcohol or drug use. This study also suggests that a diverse range of healthy lifestyle behaviors are associated with a higher proportion of regular seat belt use. Encouraging healthy lifestyle behaviors in students, particularly those who drive, may positively influence traffic safety behaviors, including regular seat belt use.

Description of Various Factors Contributing to Traffic Accidents in Youth and Measures Proposed to Alleviate Recurrence.

Traffic accidents are the leading cause of hospitalization in adolescence, with the 18–24-year-old age group accounting for 23% of deaths by traffic accidents. Recurrence rate is also high. One in four teenagers will have a relapse within the year following the first accident. Cognitive impairments known in adolescence could cause risky behaviors, defined as repetitive engagement in dangerous situations such as road accidents. Two categories of factors seem to be associated with traffic accidents: (1) factors specific to the traffic environment and (2) “human” factors, which seem to be the most influential. Moreover, the establishment of a stronger relation to high speed driving increases traffic accident risks and can also be intensified by sensation seeking. Other factors such as substance use (alcohol, drugs, and “binge drinking”) are also identified as risk factors. Furthermore, cell phone use while driving and attention deficit disorder with or without hyperactivity also seem to be important risk factors for car accidents. The family environment strongly influences a young person’s driving behavior. Some interventional driving strategies and preventive measures have reduced the risk of traffic accidents among young people, such as the graduated driver licensing program and advertising campaigns. So far, few therapeutic approaches have been implemented. Reason why, we decided to set up an innovative strategy consisting of a therapeutic postaccident group intervention, entitled the ECARR2 protocol, to prevent recurrence among adolescents and young adults identified at risk, taking into account the multiple risk factors.

Assessment of the Chinese driver licensing system implemented from 1 Jan 2013 to 30 Sep 2016

Under the conditions of the driver licensing system implemented from 1 Jan 2013 to 30 Sep 2016, learners gradually obtained their full driving privileges in China, and the Chinese driver licensing system is largely a type of Graduated Driver Licensing system.Comparative analyses were applied to identify the deficiencies of the driver licensing system (Edition of 2013). The Chinese driver licensing system primarily focuses on driver education/training, which is conducted in commercial driving schools. The learner stage is actually the driver training stage, and the length of the learner stage is not sufficient; i.e., supervised driving cannot be guaranteed, which is controversial with the principle of the GDL system. Learners’ driving skills are primarily obtained by mass practice, which cannot be retained well; besides, many novice drivers do not own a car and live with parents who are experienced drivers in China and therefore seldom practice driving during the probationary period. Certain important restrictions to intermediate-stage driving – such as night driving, which has been demonstrated to be effective in reducing road accidents – are not applied.The investigations of novice drivers were also conducted to assess the system, and the results indicate that most driving leaners prepared for their driving knowledge test by mass practice, and the updated driving knowledge tests indicate that their driving knowledge faded over time. Only 66.9% of the participants passed the simulated test 3–5months after being licensed. Investigations on in-vehicle training indicate that the average actual training time is shorter than the minimum legal requirement, although the research populations successfully passed the tests. In general, the driver licensing system of the 2013 edition cannot achieve its intended results based on the work presented in this paper. This work can be used as a reference for the driver licensing system reform in the future.