Graduated licensing makes initiation tougher

By: Drivers.com staff
Date: 1999-06-09

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"Hey buddy, where did you get your driver's license? In a cereal box?"

There was a time not more than a few decades ago when that insult might not have been too far off the mark. It was pretty easy to get a driver's license just about anywhere in the world. In many cases there was no test of driving ability at all. It was left up to the individual to be responsible and to gradually acquire the skills needed to manage a vehicle in traffic.

However, those days have gone. There are few places left where a test of basic driving skills is not required. Traffic is tougher these days, and, more importantly, the modern-day power of computing is making governments all over the world keenly aware of the enormous cost of automobile crashes.

The result

Driver licensing systems all around the world are getting tougher and more complicated. However, there is still huge variation in licensing requirements. There are a few countries around the world in which licensing requirements are still lax, and there are some that have had tough requirements for a long time. Notable amongst the latter are Germany and Japan.

In North America, the buzzword is "graduated" licensing-a system which restricts driving privileges at first, and then increases them as the new driver gains experience and maintains a good driving record. In most places where graduated systems are used there are tough penalties for traffic violations, and infractions will slow the licensing process.

In 1994, Canada's province of Ontario adopted one of the toughest graduated licensing systems of all; one that takes at least 20 months for new drivers to complete, and requires two on-the-road driving tests as well as a theory test. (Read Adam Daifallah's article about his experience with graduated licensing in Ontario)

The theory behind graduated driver licensing systems is simple: new drivers are at much greater risk of crashing for the first few years. This is particularly true of new young drivers, who are not only inexperienced but may have a carefree attitude toward risk taking behavior. Ideally, graduated licensing systems allow the new driver to gain experience while avoiding some of the riskiest situations. For teenagers, these risky situations include: night driving (especially late at night); driving with other teens in the car, particularly large groups of peers, and driving after drinking alcohol.

Graduated licensing systems have been introduced in several Canadian provinces, a growing number of U.S. states, Australia, and New Zealand.

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