According to
a AAA study, the number of teenagers who choose to delay getting their driver’s
license is increasing. That means that these teenagers will be able to bypass
the provisions of the Graduated Driver Licensing Program when they do decide to
get a license. That raises questions about the safety of these drivers,
considering that they're able to speed ahead towards a driver’s license without
going through any of the normal steps that are included in the California
graduated driver’s licensing program.
California
has some of the toughest Graduated Drivers Licensing laws
in the country. Those laws establish strong guidelines and set restrictions for
young novice drivers for night time driving and driving with teenage passengers
in the car, besides other restrictions. Many accidents involving teenage
motorists occur during nighttime, or when teenage motorists are driving with
other passengers of the same age in the car. GDL programs have been widely credited
for a drop in the number of teen driver
car accident fatalities across the country over the past few years.
However, in
the case of a teen who decides to delay getting a driver’s license till after
he finishes high school, many of those restrictions may no longer apply,
because he may not be covered under the Graduated Driver Licensing program. An
18-year-old teenage driver may be able to get a license without going through
any of the nighttime driving or passenger restrictions. That means that he doesn't
have to go through the various steps in the process of obtaining a license, and
is not subjected to any of the normal safeguards that the Graduated Driver
Licensing program provides.
That could
be dangerous, and therefore, the AAA is calling on all states that have
graduated driver’s licensing programs to include older novice drivers also
under this program.
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