GUEST COLUMN: Strengthening Indiana's graduated driver's license laws
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Sunday, August 09, 2009 12:24:21 PM
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According to Sherry Deane of AAA Hoosier Motor Club, 151 Indiana teenagers died and 729 teenagers sustained lifelong, serious injuries, due to motor vehicle accidents involving teenage drivers. Indiana's graduated driver's license (GDL) system is not nearly as strong as it could be. Strengthening Indiana's GDL system could possibly save hundreds of teenage lives a year.
According to AAA Hoosier Motor Club, approximately 6.6 percent of licensed drivers in Indiana are between the age of 16 and 20. This group accounts for 20.4 percent of all single-vehicle fatalities and more than 15 percent of all crashes. AAA reports that out of 321 drivers involved in motor vehicle accidents, 135 were killed. Those drivers were 15-20 years of age. Between 1995 and 2004 in Indiana, 877 lives were lost in motor vehicle accidents involving young drivers. The lives of young drivers accounted for 40 percent of those fatalities.
The old saying "practice makes perfect" can be said for drivers. Why does the state not demand more practice out of young drivers to ensure they will be able to handle more driving situations if and when they arise. By requiring more practice, lives of the drivers, as well as the others on the road, could possibly be saved.
Most states have adopted the GDL system. The GDL system is a three-step process that helps young drivers gather more driving experience under supervision before they are allowed to drive alone. Studies of the GDL show that with more restrictions placed on young drivers, crash rates decline, resulting in lives saved.
As of January 2008, 46 states had in place a GDL system, but not one follows all the recommended components. Indiana made significant changes to its GDL system that took effect July 1, including requiring more practice time and additional restrictions on nighttime driving, cell phones and passengers, but it still falls short in some areas.
According to a study released by AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, the more components the system has the better the results are. The findings show that if a state has a GDL system with at least five of the seven common components, 16 year-old drivers were involved in 38 percent fewer fatal crashes and 40 percent fewer crashes with injuries. No state currently has all seven components. Indiana currently has only two components in place.
Source: The Star Press
