01133879

Component

http://www.trb.org/Publications/Blurbs/161810.aspx

Safety researchers and policy makers have recognized for some time that young and inexperienced drivers are overrepresented in traffic crashes. Of all the strategies to reduce these crashes, those that affect a young person's freedom to drive hold the greatest promise. A driver's license is among the most prized possessions of youth. It follows that young people will be attentive to driving safety programs that attempt to control the conditions under which they can drive—including program components that, independently, might have little appeal. This "carrot and stick" strategy has been incorporated into a number of programs for licensing young drivers. This paper discusses two interrelated legislative approaches to the young driver problem: Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL), which is intended to help young drivers ease into driving under less risky circumstances as they develop their driving skills; and zero tolerance, which attempts to reduce the possibility that young drivers will drink and drive. Often, zero tolerance is one of the elements of GDL, although they are sometimes legislated separately. The paper discusses the history of these legislative approaches and research showing their effectiveness. It then discusses how to move forward in improving these laws and ultimately the safety of young drivers.

01133870

English

pp 95-102

2009-6

Transportation Research Circular

Young Impaired Drivers: The Nature of the Problem and Possible Solutions

Web

References

Graduated licensing; History; Legislation; Research; Teenage drivers; Traffic safety; Zero tolerance

Highways; Safety and Human Factors; I83: Accidents and the Human Factor

TRIS, TRB

Jul 16 2009 10:57AM

• A Review of the Young Impaired Driver Problem in Australia, with a Particular Focus on New South Wales
• Alcohol Monitoring Technologies: Applications for Youth and Young Impaired Drivers
• Crash Types: Markers of Increased Risk of Alcohol-Involved Crashes Among Teen Drivers
• Criminal Sanctions for Young Impaired Drivers
• Drink Driving and Drug Driving Enforcement Strategies in Australia
• Effects of 21 Minimum Legal Drinking Age Laws on Alcohol-Related Driving in the United States
• Effects of a College Community Campaign on Drinking and Driving with a Strong Enforcement Component
• Females and Alcohol-Related Fatal Crashes: Exposure-Adjusted Trends
• Lack of Information from National Surveys: What We Still Need to Learn About Transition Teens
• Psychosocial and Behavioral Factors That Predict Impaired and Other Risky Driving: Findings from a Longitudinal Study
• Single-Vehicle Fatal Crashes Involving Youth: Trends and a Preliminary Analysis of the Role of Graduated Driver Licensing Laws
• The Consequences of Providing Drinkers with BAC Information on Assessments of Alcohol Impairment and Drunk-Driving Risk
• The Impact of Underage Drinking and Related Laws on Youth Alcohol-Related Fatal Crashes
• The Nature of the Young Impaired Driver Problem in Europe
• The Perspective on Campus
• The Potential for Nighttime Enforcement and Seat Belt Law Upgrades to Impact Alcohol-Related Deaths Among High-Risk Occupants
• Young DUI Offenders Seen in Substance Abuse Treatment
• Young Impaired Driver Involvement in Fatal Crashes
• Young Impaired Drivers: The Nature of the Problem and the Strategies Being Used in the Military