Why Graduated Driver Licensing

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Why Graduated Driver Licensing?

• Reduce teenage crashes and fatalities
• Protect new drivers while they learn
• Increase teen driving experience
• Increase drivers skills
• Motivate novice drivers to drive safely
• Promote Parental/ Guardian Involvement
• Make better life-long drivers
• MV Crashes leading cause of death 15-20 year olds

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KY GRADUATED LICENSING PROGRAM
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1994 Kentucky Leads the Nation

• Kentucky lead the nation in teenage driving
  fatalities
• Teens represent 7 of driving population
• Teens involved in 14 of fatal collisions
• Teens involved in 20 of all collisions

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Pre GDL

• Prior to 1996,
• Anyone could teach teens to drive
• Teens had limited driving experience before
  getting drivers license 30 days
• No restriction on new driver
• Teens could drive anytime
• No passenger limitation
• No strategy for underage Alcohol use

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1996 GDL Effort

• Established by the Legislature during the 1996
  Session HB 400
• KY was one of the leading states in GDL in 1996
• Just a few years later NHTSA only recognized KY
  as having a Partial GDL Program

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1996 GDL Effort

• Limits nighttime driving during the permit phase
• Must hold permit for 180 days
• Requires the driving instructor to be at least 21
  years old
• Requires completion of a traffic safety course
  within 1 year of passing the driving skills test.

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1996 GDL Effort

• Establishes zero tolerance for Alcohol use
  under 21
• Lowered the Points threshold from 12 to 7 for
  new drivers until 18
• Suspend to age 18 for Serious Traffic Violations
• Established Parental Manual to help teach teens
  Generation to Generation

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KIPRC evaluates GDL in Kentucky

• Study identified pre GDL crashes (1993-95) and
  post GDL crashes (1997-99)
• Motor vehicle crashes drop by 31.4 for 16 year
  olds
• Motor vehicle crashes for entire group (16 - 19
  year olds) saw no improvement

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KIPRC evaluates GDL in Kentucky

• Nighttime crashes drop by 36 for 16 year olds
• Overall nighttime crashes drop by 8.3 for 16-19
  year olds
• Alcohol related crashes drop by 31.6 for 16 year
  olds
• Overall alcohol related crashes decrease by 0.4
  of the age group 16 - 19

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2005 KY Status

• 39 states and D.C. have full GDL
• KY does not have Intermediate stage
• KY does not have a passenger restriction
• KY does not have a Nighttime Driving restriction
• KY does not have Primary Seatbelt
• KY does not have a teen cell phone restriction

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New GDL Bill as enacted (HB 90)

• Will become effective Oct. 1, 2006
• Establishes three distinct phases of licensure
• Provides needed enhancements to the existing GDL
  law

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New GDL Bill as enacted (HB 90)

• Permit Phase enhancements
• Parent/Guardian must certify 60 hours of practice
  driving (10 hours at night)
• Clean Driving Record - No moving traffic
  conviction of KRS 186, 189, 189A
• Passenger restriction limit 1 unrelated person
  under 20 years of age
• Must wear Seat belt (HB 117)

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New GDL Bill as enacted (HB 90)

• Intermediate phase enhancements (after driving
  skills test)
• Intermediate sticker placed onto permit by KSP
  examiner
• 180 days if no traffic violations
• Nighttime driving restriction from midnight until
  6 A.M.
• Passenger restriction limit 1 unrelated
  passenger under age 20.

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New GDL Bill is enacted (HB 90)

• Intermediate phase enhancements
• Clean driving Record - No moving traffic
  convictions of KRS 186,189, 189A
• Must complete driver safety course before
  applying for full license
• Must wear a seat belt (HB 117)
• Note Most drivers should complete this phase
  after their 17 birthday.

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New GDL Bill as enacted (HB90)

• Full License after successfully completing
  intermediate phase
• .02 BAC for those under age 21
• Parent/Guardian financially responsible until age
  18
• Must wear seatbelt (HB 117)

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New GDL Laws goal

• Lower risk taking of new drivers
• Control new drivers exposure to high-risk driving
  situations
• Motivate novice drivers to drive carefully
• Enhance parental/ guardian involvement
• Reduce injuries and fatalities of teens
• Make better long term drivers

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Strength of the new law

• Novice drivers must demonstrate Conviction Free
  driving before getting full license
• Intermediate sticker of permit will identify that
  driver is still learning
• Intermediate driver must complete 4-hour traffic
  safety program before Full License
• Passenger and Nighttime Restrictions

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Implications of a Full GDL Program

• Kentucky will once again be recognized as a GDL
  state
• Teens will now have much longer to gain the
  experience needed for safe driving
• Teens will be under more restrictions to promote
  safe driving
• Parents will become involved in teaching teens to
  drive

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Implications for a Full GDL Program

• Promote using Generation to Generation booklet
  as a parental guide and lesson plan for teaching
• Relieve much of the peer pressure exerted on
  novice drivers by limiting passengers

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Implications of a Full GDL Program

• Rewards teens for being crash and violation free
  during the intermediate phase
• Allows novice drivers to gain experience
  gradually while in the intermediate phase
• Must take an approved traffic safety course
  before moving to full licensure

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Graduated Licensing Traffic Safety Course

• Four-hour traffic safety program
• Delivered to students who dont have an
  opportunity to take Drivers Education in their
  High School
• Utilize qualified instructors
• Classes in every county

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Graduated Licensing Traffic Safety Course

• Partner with most High Schools in Kentucky to
  provide instruction in the new drivers home
  community
• Monitor the delivery of the curriculum by
  qualified evaluators
• Analyze effectiveness of the program

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Graduated Licensing Traffic Safety Course

• Continually update the curriculum
• Report program results to the Transportation
  Cabinets Division of Driver Licensing
• Sets the curriculum standard for Cabinet approved
  private agencies

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Components of GDL Course

• Lecture
• Video presentations
• Discussion groups
• Classroom exercises

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Benefits of Taking GDL Course

• Helps teen retain driving privileges
• Examines teen driving habits
• Explains laws and policies that affect teens
  driver license
• Updates current laws and traffic safety issues
• Helps teen become a better driver

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GDL Course Curriculum Topics

• Dangers of alcohol and other drugs
• Defensive and perceptive driving
• Seatbelt usage
• Driver behavior
• Rules of the road

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GDL Course Effectiveness

• Measured by
• Pre-Test
• Post-Test
• Personal Data Questionnaire
• Statistics are analyzed
• Results reported

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Statistical results 2005

• 1,195 Classes conducted
• At least two in each of Kentuckys 120 Counties
• 25,273 Novice drivers completed
• Pre-Test, Post-Test comparison
• Pre-Test, mean score 8.43
• Post-Test, mean score 10.10
• 96.5 percent felt the class beneficial

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GDL Course Misconceptions

• Graduated Licensing Program course is a portion
  of the entire GDL Program
• It is not Driver Education
• Learning to drive takes hundreds of hours
• It discusses choices that teens make when
  driving without parental supervision

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Where do we go from here?

• Require parent or guardian to be present for 16
  17 year old court appearances
• Ban cell phone use for teens learning to drive
• Stop purging .02 DUI Zero Tolerance offenses
• Under age 18 traffic offenders would attend
  either GLP or STS