YOUNG DRIVERS AND GRADUATED LICENSING - THE ONTARIO CASE

Despite improvements in road safety over the past several decades, acc ident rates remain high for young drivers. One accident countermeasure that is expected to improve the safety record of this group is gradua ted licensing. The philosophy behind this licensing system is that nov ice drivers, of whom the majority are young, should be restricted to r elatively safe driving environments during the initial learning period . Graduated licensing was implemented in the Province of Ontario, Cana da in 1994. The objective of this study is to estimate the potential b enefits and costs for young drivers associated with two components of the Ontario graduated licensing package: the late-night driving curfew and the high-speed roadway restrictions. Based on accident and travel data for the year 1988, accident-involvement rates per kilometre driv en were calculated for different driver groups for various combination s of time of day and roadway speed limit. These rates were then applie d to the expected mobility profiles of young drivers affected by gradu ated licensing. The results of the study support the late-night curfew and suggest that this component of the licensing package should reduc e total accident involvements for the affected group by up to 10 perce nt and fatal accident involvements by up to 24 percent, while reducing their total driving by only four percent. By contrast, the empirical evidence suggest that the high-speed roadway restrictions are likely t o increase accident involvements, and thus it is strongly recommended that this component of Ontario's graduated licensing package be change d.