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Hitting the Road
What Parents Need to Know About Teens Behind the Wheel
By Jennifer Nelson
Statistics prove that these states are saving lives – teen lives. Elsewhere, however, the system hasn't been implemented. Because it's new, the concept has been met with some opposition and confusion. Opponents to the graduated system view the restrictions as a penalization of teen drivers. Supporters say it's not meant to punish young drivers but to train them better.
Sue Anne and Steve Duffy, a Memphis, Tenn., couple who lost their 16-year-old son in a collision involving a vehicle driven by another 16-year-old, have tried unsuccessfully to get the Tennessee State Legislature to approve the graduated driver's license system. State Representative Tommy Head, who has opposed the GDL bill, cites it as another example of legislature in people's lives. Opponents of GDL think parents should enforce these restrictions on their teens without making them law.
However, even under the GDL system, teens who have completed 25 to 50 hours of driving are allowed to drive alone. They have to be off the road by a specified hour, which ranges from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. in different jurisdictions. Some states limit the number of young passengers who can ride with a teenage driver. Others suspend licenses after two moving violations.
The evidence suggests the benefits are substantial. In the first year that Florida's GDL system became effective, the Insurance Institute found that the number of fatal and injurious crashes involving 15-, 16- and 17-year-olds dropped 9 percent. Other GDL states see similar results. In neighboring states where GDL has not been adopted, there has been no decrease in the teen death and injury rates from collisions.
For decades, driver education classes were believed to help prevent accidents. While there's no proof that the high school courses reduce crash numbers in the long term, it's not a bad idea for teens to take the course, which is still required in many areas.
