The first long-term study of a graduated licensing program shows the safety gains that take place at each stage. The biggest cut in crashes occurred in the first, 6-month learner stage. The study was carried out in Nova Scotia, which adopted graduated licensing in 1994. It applied to all new drivers, regardless of age. After a six-month learner period, when they can only drive with an experienced driver and no passengers, drivers must take a road test or complete driver education course to pass to a 24-month intermediate stage. That permits driving unsupervised except from midnight to 5 a.m. New drivers who got their licenses at 16 experienced half as many crashes as their peers without graduate licensing. The benefits continued under intermediate licenses, though not as dramatically. Older drivers (18 and older) had different experiences. It was found that formal driver's education seemed to have no effect. (Author/publisher)
Abstract