EARNING A DRIVERS LICENSE

TEENAGE DRIVERS IN the United States have greatly elevated crash rates , primarily a result of qualities associated with immaturity and lack of driving experience. State licensing systems vary substantially, but most have allowed quick and easy access to driving with full privileg es at a young age, contributing to the crash problem. Formal driver ed ucation has not been an effective crash prevention measure. Following the introduction of graduated licensing in New Zealand, Australia, and Canada this system has been considered in many states and has been im plemented in some. Graduated systems phase in full privilege driving, requiring initial experience to be gained under conditions of lower ri sk The author describes the first five multistage graduated systems en acted in the United States in 1996 and 1997. Factors that will influen ce the acceptability and effectiveness of these new licensing systems are discussed.