Why target only young people? Why not target all novice drivers?
California’s new graduated driver licensing system deals with the biggest problems facing teen drivers. Clearly, too many people are killed or injured in cars driven by teens. Without changes, the situation will grow worse. According to the NTSB, Projections show California’s teen population growing by a third over the next 10 years. Motor vehicle crash injuries are the leading cause of death among those aged 15 to 19 years, and 16-year-old drivers have more fatal crashes per 100 million miles than any other age group.2 Having all young drivers obtain their initial driving experiences under lower risk conditions is a fair and sensible public health measure. The slower progress to an outright license is also intended to increase the maturity and development of novice drivers. Disproportionately beginning drivers (age 16) have higher crash rates than any other age, including older teenagers.By monitoring, mentoring and supervising beginning drivers, we can develop mature and responsible
