Teenage drivers

Teenage drivers are involved in a disproportionately high number of crashes compared to other age groups. The crash rate per mile for drivers 15-20 years of age is about 4 times as high as drivers over 21 years of age and older. Inexperience, combined with risk taking behavior, contributes to these high crash rates. Graduated licensing systems are designed to phase in young beginning drivers to full driving privileges as they mature and develop their driving skills, ensuring that initial experience is accumulated under lower risk conditions.

Teen drivers are far more likely than other drivers to be involved in fatal crashes because they lack driving experience and tend to take greater risks due to their immaturity. Graduated licensing is a system of driver licensing that is effective in reducing young driver crash fatalities. It is designed to introduce young drivers to the driving experience gradually, by phasing in full driving privileges over time and in lower risk settings. Graduated licensing consists of a learner's stage, an intermediate driving stage and an unrestricted driving stage.