Graduated licensing: painful, but successful

By: Adam Daifallah
Date: 1999-07-01

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A Drivers.com Editorial

This article was first published on April 6, 1999. This was just a few days after the end of the first cycle of Ontario, Canada's graduated driver licensing program, which began on April 1, 1994. Under the system, new drivers have 5 years to exit the system by successfully completing the second level (G2) road test.

It may be hard to believe, but it was over five years ago now-April 1, 1994-that Ontario Premier Bob Rae's controversial Bill 122 (known as the Graduated Licensing System) came into effect in Ontario. Many previous governments had promised to bring in such reforms but Rae, to the chagrin of many 15-year-olds at the time like myself, finally did it. I remember the chill that shot up my spine when I realized I would be among the first batch of young people affected by this new program. I recall all the moaning and groaning when students in my grade found out about this new prolonged way of earning a full drivers license. Many felt slighted because we were the first ones to miss out on the old, easier way.

It seemed so complicated and unnecessary to us. The old system was so much simpler. You wrote a short test to earn a learner's permit and once you got that, you were eligible to take the short, 20 minute driving test to earn a full license with no restrictions immediately. You could basically take the test when you felt like it.

Under Graduated Licensing, however, you must write the written test to earn a permit, then wait and practice driving for eight months and complete an approved driver's education course (or wait twelve months, without driver's ed) before you can take a short road test to drive alone. After passing the road test, the license earned is called a G2 which enables you to drive alone with some minor restrictions. After no less than a year of driving with a G2, you take a second, more comprehensive and longer road test to earn a full G license.

Looking back now, sure I was bitter and unhappy-we all were. But a study released last year by Ontario's Ministry of Transportation reveals that Graduated Licensing has been an extremely effective and successful policy for improving driver safety.

Young drivers have traditionally had high collision rates when compared to older age groups. This was one of the major reasons for bringing in the new program. Since its inception, collision rates for novice drivers have decreased an incredible 31 per cent. Also, alcohol was a factor in 27 per cent fewer young driver collisions. Overall, the estimated total cost savings to society, when factoring in savings in property damage, emergency response and medial care, lost future earnings, etc.. is estimated at $59 million over the last five years. Wow!

A Minor Problem

In my mind, there is only one minor problem-the relative lack of difference between the G2 and the full G license. Under the G2, the only restrictions are that (a) you must have a blood-alcohol level of 0 when driving and, (b) there cannot be more people in the car than there are seatbelts. That's not very restrictive in my books. For this reason, there has been very little desire among young people to book and take the test for the full G license and pay the $75 fee to take it. Their reasoning? Think about it. Why pay money and waste time to pass a road test so that you can drink and drive and overcrowd a car? There's no incentive.

A lot of young drivers are putting this test off to the last minute-which is causing major overcrowding at testing centers and long waiting periods. Students are complaining that they are having to wait months now to take their final "G" test. This issue will have to be addressed soon.

Graduated licensing was one of the few actions taken by the New Democratic Party when they were in government which received all-party support in the legislature-because it made sense. It has saved time, money, and most importantly, lives-and no one can argue with that.

* * This article was originally published April 6, 1999 in the Peterborough Examiner newspaper, when Adam Daifallah was a student at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario.

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