Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for teenagers in the United States. In an effort to reduce crashes and fatalities among young drivers, nearly all states have implemented graduated driver licensing (GDL) systems. GDL systems are designed to provide beginning drivers with substantial driving practice under the safest possible conditions, exposing them to more risky situations (e.g., night driving, multiple teen passengers) only as experience is gained over time. An important component of graduated licensing is the extended learner stage for beginning drivers. The learner stage provides an opportunity for novices to obtain “real world” driving experience in a relatively safe fashion. Presently, although most state GDL systems now require learner periods of six months or longer, little is known about the nature and quality of parental supervision during this initial licensing stage. The goal of this project was to develop a better understanding of how parents approach and manage their teens’ driving during the learner stage of GDL. If we are to develop and implement useful guidance for parents to become better driving mentors — and thus to maximize the effectiveness of supervised driving practice — much more information is needed about current parent practices. (Author/publisher)
Abstract