The Driving School Association of California has been hard at work gathering information to support our legislative efforts to increase the Driver Education / Training requirements to include all new drivers between the ages of 16-20. We'd like to draw your attention to a recent study, conducted by the California Department of Motor Vehicles investigating the effectiveness of Graduated Driver Licensing. Select quotes from the study authors, who appeared for a radio interview on NPR appear below.
According to the California DMV, the rate of 16-year-olds licensed to drive unsupervised fell from 23% in 1997 to 14% by 2007. “We have more novices on the roads at ages 18 and 19”, according to the study’s lead author, Scott Masten PhD, Research Manager at the State of California Department of Motor Vehicles.(source)
"They're (referring to ages 16-17) saying the heck with your more complicated process, I'm going to turn 18, and I'm not going to have to take driver's ed. I'm not going to have to do all this practice with mom and dad, and I'll get my license then." Scott Masten PhD, Research Manager at the State of California Department of Motor Vehicles. (source)
Anne McCart, Senior Vice President of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety responds to a question regarding the New Jersey licensing process which requires all novice drivers under the age of 21 to complete Driver Ed / Training, "Reduced crashes, you know, across the board for teenagers." Anne McCart, Senior Vice President of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (source)
Special Note from DSAC Secretary, Josh Mayes:
We are still working on obtaining the rights to republish and distribute the study itself, which appeared in the September 14 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. We'll keep you posted.
You Can Help!
Please assist our efforts by speaking up. Use this information to inform your students, parents, local media, and local government. Questions can be directed to DSAC Secretary, Josh Mayes at josh@drivehappysocal.com.