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New program aims to assist and protect newly licensed 16-year-old drivers

Turning 16 years old and getting a license to drive is an exciting time in any youngster's life. Unfortunately, teen-age drivers are among the most accident-prone. They have very high rates of traffic crashes.

"For most young drivers, it's not a question if they'll have an accident, it's when they'll have one," is the way one insurance actuary once described the situation.

Inexperience seems to be the primary reason that so many teen drivers are so vulnerable to traffic crashes.

Although drivers in the 16-19 age group constitute only 5.2 percent of the nation's driving population, they are involved in 13.2 percent of all traffic crashes and nearly 12 percent of fatal crashes, according to the National Safety Council. Those high crash and fatality rates have prevailed for decades for teenagers.

There's a new initiative aimed at protecting teenagers during their formative driving periods. It's called "graduated licensing." The licensing age remains the same, but full driving privileges are phased in gradually. As the 16-year-olds gain driving experience, their driving privileges are expanded.

Many insurers and safety organizations around the country support this new program.

The graduated licensing program begins with the learner's permit. As is the case now, that permit allows learners to drive when accompanied by licensed drivers.

Next comes the intermediate stage. That permits youthful drivers to drive alone -- without licensed drivers -- during the day. They also can drive at night -- between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. -- but a licensed driver must be with them.

And then comes the advanced stage. That's when learners, thanks to the experience they've gained under the watchful eyes of mature drivers, graduate to full driving privileges without restrictions.

New Zealand uses graduated licensing for all new drivers under 25 and reportedly has seen a 15 percent drop in auto fatalities in that group. The provinces of Ontario and Nova Scotia in Canada have graduated licensing for young drivers.

Challenges faced by young drivers today are far greater than they were many years ago when learner's permits were first granted to 15- and 16-year-old drivers. Greater congestion, high speeds on freeways, and more powerful cars combine to make driving a more formidable task for the newly-licensed drivers.