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Abstract: 

Teenage drivers have a higher crash risk than any other age group in the U.S., whether measured with reference to miles driven or population. Teenagers’ higher risk is caused both by their driving inexperience and a greater propensity for risk-taking behaviors. Among 16- to 19-year-old drivers, the crash risk is highest at age 16 to 17 and declines sharply with driving experience. Young drivers are especially vulnerable immediately after they obtain their driver license and begin to drive independently. This is partly due to the increase in driving exposure that occurs upon licensure,and partly because the risk of a first crash is considerably higher during the first 500 miles of independent or unsupervised driving. Over the past several years, almost all states have embraced Graduated Driver Licensing Systems (GDL) as a means to reduce the crash risk among young drivers. This article looks at GDL and whether they reduce crash risk or not.

Keywords: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS);

Affiliations:  1: Preusser Research Group (PRG), Inc..