By Vikki Franklin

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The Graduated Driver’s License (GDL) program that went into effect in Kentucky three years ago appears to be reducing the number of motor vehicle crashes involving 16-year-old drivers, according to preliminary data compiled by the Kentucky Injury Prevention and Research Center (KIPRC) and the Kentucky Transportation Center (KTC), both at the University of Kentucky.

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See related story in the Dec. 7, 1999, edition of the Lexington Herald-Leader.

The researchers compared post-GDL crash data (1997-98) with pre-GDL crash data (1993-95). Since the program went into effect, motor vehicle crashes involving 16-year-olds have declined by more than 33 percent; fatal motor vehicle crashes are down almost 28 percent; and injury crashes involving 16-year-old drivers are down more than 34 percent. Teen alcohol-related crashes have declined by more than 30 percent since 1996. Overall, the rate of crashes for 16-year-old drivers has decreased from 19 crashes per 100 16-year-old drivers in 1995 to 11 crashes per 100 16-year-old licensed drivers in 1998.

"These preliminary results show that the legislation should remain intact, if not enhanced, to help continue the reduction in motor vehicle crashes associated with teen drivers," said Pamela Kidd, director of KIPRC, a partnership between the UK Chandler Medical Center and the Kentucky Department for Public Health.

In Kentucky’s GDL program, novice drivers receive a six-month driving permit requiring a licensed driver 21 or over in the vehicle while the novice is driving. After six months and passing the driving skills test, the driver receives a provisional license to age 18. The driver is not allowed to drive between midnight and 6 a.m. (with some exceptions) and must complete a state-approved driver education course before receiving full licensure. A zero alcohol tolerance for teen drivers until age 21 is in effect, and driving privileges are revoked if a driver under 18 receives more than six points for driving offenses.

The GDL Program Advisory Panel, which guides the UK research and evaluation of GDL, encourages the continuation of the legislation, as well as further steps during the provisional license phase, including:

• Instituting a primary seat belt law for drivers under 18, meaning they could be pulled over and cited for not wearing a seat belt
• Restricting the number of passengers to one, except for family members
• Adding a nighttime driving restriction with no midnight to 6 a.m. driving unless with a driver age 21 or older
• Completing the GDL education program within six months of getting a license (currently the requirement is for within 12 months)
• Requiring alcohol and drug education for a first alcohol-related conviction, and convictions at a blood alcohol level of .02 would not be purged from a driver’s record. (This applies until a driver turns 21.)

"Driving is a privilege, and limitations can be – and need to be – imposed for the increased safety of the public, particularly our teens," Kidd said.