Young Drivers: A Study of Policies and Practices.

Young Drivers:A Study of Policies and Practices

PREPARED BYDavid Anderson, Ph.D.

Associate Professor

Amr Abdalla, Ph.D.Research and Evaluation Director

Noel Goldberg, M.S.Program Manager

Blakely Pomietto, M.P.H.Public Health Specialist

George Mason UniversityCenter for the Advancement of Public Health

Department of Health, Fitness, and Recreation ResourcesGraduate School of Education

PURPOSE

• To examine current approaches designed to best prepare and oversee young drivers in Virginia

• To glean what seems to be working

• To identify where adjustments and improvements appear to be warranted for consideration

• To improve existing policies and approaches for better dealing with young drivers

RATIONALE

As evidenced by the data, both from a national and state perspective, young drivers are disproportionately over-

represented in motor vehicle crashes.

METHODOLOGY

Nine distinct approaches to gather information:

1. Literature review2. Interviews with key informants3. National survey of state efforts4. Interviews with leaders from highway

safety, transportation, and state police in each state

5. National and state data

METHODOLOGY

6. Review of the status of Virginia jurisdiction curfew laws

7. Interviews with 5 officials in 60 Virginia jurisdictions

8. Focus groups with youth, parents, and driver instructors

9. Group discussion with key state officials

Virginia Approaches (2000)

1. A person must be 16 years old to obtain a driver’s license.

2. The applicant must pass a vision screening, a two-part knowledge exam, and a road skills test.

3. For juveniles under age 18, parents must provide permission for the license.

4. A learner’s permit may be obtained at the age of 15, and must be held until the person is 16 years old.

5. All those under age 19 must complete a state-approved driver education program.


6. Teen drivers and their parents/legal guardians must participate in a Juvenile Licensing program in local courts, where the judge typically hands the license to the adult accompanying the juvenile.

7. Parents may cancel the learner’s permit or driver’s license privileges at any time until the son/daughter is 18 years old.

8. All driver license photographs are taken full faced, and licenses for minors show the date that the individual turns 18 and the date s/he turns 21. Photographs are oriented vertically for minors age 15 – 21.


9. Virginia’s Zero Tolerance law makes it illegal for personal under the age of 21 to drive with any measurable alcohol in their blood.

10. Any individual under the age of 18 must attend a driver improvement clinic if he or she is convicted of a demerit point violation, and is then restricted to transporting no more than 3 passengers while driving (in effect until age 18). Conviction of a second demerit point offense suspends driving privileges for 90 days. For a third conviction, driving privileges are revoked for one year or until s/he turns 18, whichever is longer.

PRIOR RESEARCH

1. Driving is a complicated combination of cognitive, perceptual, and psychomotor tasks.

PRIOR RESEARCH

2. Research documents that adolescents do not have the emotional, mental, and physical abilities of an adult.

PRIOR RESEARCH

3. Young drivers also lack experience behind the wheel; they have a relatively low repertoire of driving experiences upon which to draw.

Themes, Findings, and Recommendations

THEMES, FINDINGS, & RECOMMENDATIONS: Parents

FINDINGS

• Parents currently have a large influence on their sons and daughters.

• Parents often have a perspective which conflicts with that held by safety personnel.

• Parents have a large potential role to play.

THEMES, FINDINGS, & RECOMMENDATIONS: Parents

RECOMMENDATIONS• Initiatives should be prepared to help get

parents up to date and knowledgeable about the influence they have with their sons and daughters regarding driving safety.

• Parents need to be more involved with substantive and quality time with their child’s preparation as a driver.

• Parents need to conduct more oversight activities with their children regarding driving.

THEMES, FINDINGS, & RECOMMENDATIONS: The Youth Role

FINDINGS

• Young drivers are generally viewed with skepticism.

• The youth perspective is not widely incorporated.

AOD and Reckless Driving Convictions: Percent Per Age Group

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

15-17

18-20

21-25

26-30

31-35

36-40

41-45

46-50

51-55

56-60

61-65

66-70

Over70

Alcohol and Other Drug Violations Reckless Driving

Age

Percent


Virginia 1999

AOD and Reckless Driving Convictions: Percent Per Age Group

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25

Alcohol andOther DrugViolations

RecklessDriving

Age

Percent


Virginia 1999

High Risk, Safety Belt, and Speeding Convictions: Percent Per Age Group

05

1015202530

High Risk Behavior Safety Belt Violations

Speeding Violations

Age

Percen

t

Virginia 1999


High Risk, Safety Belt, and Speeding Convictions: Percent Per Age Group

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25

High RiskBehavior

Safety BeltViolations

SpeedingViolations

Age

Percen

tTHEMES, FINDINGS, & RECOMMENDATIONS: The Youth Role

Virginia 1999

Administrative Violations and Improper Driving Convictions: Percent Per Age Group

012345678

Administrative Violations Improper Driving

Age

Percen

t

Virginia 1999


Administrative Violations and Improper Driving Convictions: Percent Per Age Group

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25

AdministrativeViolations

Improper Driving

Age

Percen

tTHEMES, FINDINGS, & RECOMMENDATIONS: The Youth Role

Virginia 1999


RECOMMENDATIONS

• Youth need to be involved in the process of decision-making regarding young driver issues.

THEMES, FINDINGS, & RECOMMENDATIONS: Understanding Youth

FINDINGS• Youth have inadequately developed

skills and abilities for safe driving.• Youth attitudes about driving cause

safety concerns.• The context of driving can compromise

driving safety.• Youth behaviors linked with driving can

further compromise safety.


RECOMMENDATIONS• Professionals should incorporate

current insights about the developmental processes faced by youth.

• Program planners should continually strive to better address the inadequately developed skills and attitudes held by youth.

• Promote ongoing examination of the context of driving.


RECOMMENDATIONS (cont’d)• Continued emphasis must be

maintained on issues such as drinking and driving and other risky individual behaviors.

• A positive reward system should be considered.

• Program planners and policy makers must differentiate between the early young driver and the later stage young driver.

THEMES, FINDINGS, & RECOMMENDATIONS: Driver Education

FINDINGS• Allocated hands-on driving skills

training is inadequate.• Driver education lacks sufficient

practical training.• Young drivers’ anticipation and

response to situations are inadequate.• Driver education does not include

sufficient interactive elements and current emphasis of training activities.


FINDINGS (cont’d)• There is an apparent inconsistency

between identified state needs and current emphasis of training activities.

• There is a challenge of linking high-school based instructional needs with driver education.

• The court assigned driver improvement courses are viewed as less effective.


RECOMMENDATIONS

• Increased emphasis should be placed on hands-on driving skills.

• Driver education needs to be more practical.

• Defensive and offensive driving skills should be emphasized at a higher level.


RECOMMENDATIONS (cont’d)• Current technological approaches should

be incorporated to the extent possible.• The formal driver education curriculum

should be prepared in a way that adapts to change and maintains relevance and currency.

• Formal attention should be placed to reconcile the need for high quality education and the need for sound driver education.

THEMES, FINDINGS, & RECOMMENDATIONS:Changes in Youth and Society

FINDINGS

• The context of youthful driving is substantively different today.

• Driving is increasingly perceived as a right among youth.

THEMES, FINDINGS, & RECOMMENDATIONS:Changes in Youth and Society

RECOMMENDATIONS• A perspective of anticipating a changed

driving setting should always be maintained.

• Active attention must be implemented to promote the responsibility that individuals have regarding driving rather than the right that one has to drive.

THEMES, FINDINGS, & RECOMMENDATIONS:Organization and Oversight

FINDINGS• Relationships among organizations do

not support wide collaboration.• The role of private companies in

conducting driving curriculum could be posing problems.

• Some aspects of preparation and oversight of instructors are not adequate.


RECOMMENDATIONS

• A variety of agencies, organizations, and individuals should be involved in planning and reviewing the training issues surrounding young drivers.

• A clearer definition of inter-organizational communications is important to achieve consistency in driver education.

RECOMMENDATIONS (cont’d)• Attention should be paid to the role of

commercial driver education services.• Preparation and oversight of driver

education instructors should be improved.

• A close on-site examination of the driver education instruction content and process should be implemented.


THEMES, FINDINGS, & RECOMMENDATIONS: Enforcement,Consistency, and Judicial Role

FINDINGS• Lack of consistency appears to exist

between the actions of police officers and judges.

• Judges’ roles may positively affect youth behavior.

• There is need for increased enforcement.

THEMES, FINDINGS, & RECOMMENDATIONS: Enforcement,Consistency, and Judicial Role

RECOMMENDATIONS• Enforcement of laws about driving

safety should be increased.• Differential consequences should be

considered for young drivers involved in a safety offense with an aggravating circumstance.

• Judicial cases involving young drivers should be looked at individually.

THEMES, FINDINGS, & RECOMMENDATIONS: Perspective ofthe Graduated Drivers License

FINDINGS

• The GDL is viewed as a panacea.

• The definitions of GDL vary.

• Curfews can be a part of a graduated drivers licensing initiative.

RECOMMENDATIONS

• Individual elements of the Graduated Drivers License initiative should be considered on their own merits.

THEMES, FINDINGS, & RECOMMENDATIONS: Perspective ofthe Graduated Drivers License

FINDINGS

• Distinctions exist between urban and rural areas.

• Programs are typically implemented with the assumptions of an urban setting.

THEMES, FINDINGS, & RECOMMENDATIONS:Urban and Rural Distinctions

RECOMMENDATIONS

• In any policy-making process, local distinctions must be made.

THEMES, FINDINGS, & RECOMMENDATIONS:Urban and Rural Distinctions

FINDINGS

• Limited evaluation exists on young driver issues.

• Limited awareness of what others are doing to address young drivers is found.

THEMES, FINDINGS, & RECOMMENDATIONS:Need for Evaluation and Dissemination

RECOMMENDATIONS• Evaluation systems, including outcome

and process evaluations, should be actively implemented.

• Research and information gathering should be conducted to obtain insights about youth and current approaches in today’s society.

• Findings and research should be disseminated widely.

THEMES, FINDINGS, & RECOMMENDATIONS:Need for Evaluation and Dissemination

FINDINGS

• A range of proactive programs exist.

THEMES, FINDINGS, & RECOMMENDATIONS:Emerging Approaches

RECOMMENDATIONS

• The DMV should examine the variety of new approaches to assess their usefulness and applicability to the state.

THEMES, FINDINGS, & RECOMMENDATIONS:Emerging Approaches

Young Drivers:

www.caph.gmu.edu/young_drivers.htm

A Study of Policies and Practices

Young Drivers: A Study of Policies and Practices.

Documents

drivers license privileges

minors age

teen drivers

driver license photographs

current approaches

state datamethodologyreview

state police

state perspective