-- A minimum age of at least 16 years for receiving a learner's permit. (California's is 15 1/2 years.) -- A requirement to hold the learner's permit for at least 6 months before receiving a license that allows any unsupervised driving. (California's component is identical.) -- A requirement for certification of at least 30 hours of supervised driving practice during the learner stage. (California's exceeds this requirement with a minimum of 50 hours.) -- An intermediate stage of licensing with a minimum entry age of at least 16 years and 6 months. (California's Provisional [intermediate] License stage can begin as early as 16 years of age.) -- A nighttime driving restriction for intermediate license holders beginning no later than 10 p.m. (California strengthened its nighttime restriction on Jan. 1, 2006 by pushing back its midnight rule to 11 p.m.) -- A passenger restriction for intermediate license holders, allowing no more than one passenger (except family members). (California's provisional license is stricter, with no passengers permitted except for family need.) -- A minimum age of 17 years for full, unrestricted licensure. (California's requirement is identical.)During the 1994-2004 study period no state had more than five GDL components in effect. As of today (Feb. 15), Delaware has all seven components, and Kentucky, Rhode Island, and the District of Columbia have six. California has four. AAA Foundation research will continue on which components in the GDL law system provide the most benefit to novice teen drivers. Additional research results include:
-- In states with GDL programs that have four of the seven components, 16- year-old drivers were involved in 21 percent fewer fatal crashes and 36 percent fewer injury crashes. -- Three-stage GDL programs are more effective at reducing crash rates than GDL programs that do not include three stages of licensure. In the states with three-stage GDL programs, 16-year-old drivers were involved in 11 percent fewer fatal crashes, and 19 percent fewer crashes with injuries.During the first two years after 16-year-olds were fully licensed under the California GDL law, teen passenger deaths and injuries when 16-year-olds were behind the wheel declined 40 percent statewide and 47 percent in Los Angeles County, according to an Auto Club analysis. Also, the number of fatal and injury crashes in which 16-year-old drivers were at fault dropped 24 percent, the analysis found. It's estimated that California's passenger restriction prevented nearly 700 deaths and injuries statewide in the first three years after the Golden State's GDL law took effect. An important reason for this reduction was that the number of teen passengers carried by 16-year-old drivers declined by an estimated 25 percent after the law took effect, according to an AAA analysis. The same analysis showed that teen drivers with passengers were significantly more at risk of causing a crash than solo teen drivers. California implemented its three-stage GDL program in 1998, changing the licensing procedure for teens to let them gain driving experience gradually, while limiting their exposure to risky driving situations. The Auto Club of Southern California and its northern California counterpart co-sponsored the legislation. Currently, 43 states and the District of Columbia have enacted three-stage GDL systems, and all states have some form of GDL. A typical three-stage GDL program comprises a learner stage, during which all driving must be supervised; followed by an intermediate stage, during which unsupervised driving is permitted except under certain conditions (such as at night or with passengers); and finally full, unrestricted licensure.
Contact Information: Contact: Elaine Beno/Carol Thorp 714-885-2333