The AAA Clubs of New Jersey today announced the release of a AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety report evaluating New Jersey’s Graduated Driver License (GDL) law.
Calling New Jersey a "national leader in dealing with the young driver problem," the report, entitled "Evaluation of New Jersey’s Graduated Driver Licensing Program," details how the measures New Jersey has already implemented, as well as those that will take effect on May 1, have lowered teen driving crashes and fatalities.
Using data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the New Jersey Department of Transportation, the study found a 25% reduction in fatal crashes involving 17-year-olds in New Jersey. The study found that the reduction in crashes was especially large after midnight - nighttime crashes of 17-year-olds decreased 40% and those of 18-year-olds decreased by 17 percent. Under current GDL laws, drivers with a special learner’s permit cannot drive between the hours of 11 p.m. and 5 a.m., and examination permit and provisional driver cannot drive between midnight and 5 a.m. Effective May 1st, all permit and probationary drivers will not be able to drive between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m., taking teens off the road before that most dangerous time of night.
"This significant drop in teen driver fatalities provides that New Jersey’s GDL laws are producing the results we’d all hoped for-safer, smarter drivers," said Cathleen Lewis, director of public affairs for the AAA New Jersey Automobile Club. "By introducing laws that mitigate the riskiest behaviors, we’re giving our young drivers the tools they need to become safer drivers without putting themselves at risk."
The report also notes that additional changes are on the horizon with the enactment of legislation prompted by the Teen Driver Study Commission. The new laws, which go into effect May 1st, will limit the number of passengers allowed in a vehicle operated by a GDL driver, and will require all GDL drivers to be off the roads by 11 p.m. The laws also ban the use of all hand-held or hands-free electronic devices for all GDL drivers.
"The new laws will make the current GDL restrictions clearer to teens and their parents, and will address some of the distractions that are most dangerous to teen drivers - additional passengers, and hand-held and hands-free devices," Lewis said.
The study found that, while New Jersey is a leader, one aspect of the GDL model supported by AAA has yet to be introduced in this state: certified parent supervised driving. The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety has found that two of the most important factors in teaching good driving skills are practice and parent involvement.
"We know that practice and parental involvement are critical to developing good driving skills and safe habits. Creating a requirement that teen drivers spend 50 hours behind the wheel, learning from an experienced driver in a variety of situations will foster better, safer driving habits," Lewis said.
The New Jersey Clubs urge the Legislature to address this final step quickly.
"New Jersey is a leader in keeping our teens safe behind the wheel, and we can continue our commitment to safety by passing law that create practice driving requirements and encourage parental involvement," said Fred Gruel, Chairman of the Council of AAA Clubs of New Jersey. "The AAA Clubs of New Jersey thank the Legislature for their commitment to teen driver safety and urge them to take action this year to strengthen our laws."
A fact sheet with a brief description of the findings is attached. Visit AAA.com or http://www.aaafoundation.org/pdf/NJGDLevalFinalReport.pdf to access the full report.
The AAA Clubs of New Jersey - AAA North Jersey, AAA New The AAA Clubs of New Jersey - AAA North Jersey, AAA New Jersey Automobile Club, AAA Mid-Atlantic and AAA South Jersey - provide automotive, travel, insurance and financial services to more than two million members through 26 offices across the state. The AAA Clubs of New Jersey are affiliated with AAA, the not-for-profit, fully tax paying federation of automobile clubs, which serves as an advocate for motorists and travelers.