Community Corner

Report Finds Trend: Teens Delay Getting Driver's Licenses

A study by AAA finds teen driver's license less of a rite of passage.

The majority of American teens today delay getting a driver’s license, according to new study by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. 

Less than half (44 percent) of teens obtain a driver’s license within 12 months of the minimum age for licensing in their state and just over half (54 percent) are licensed before their 18th birthday, causing concern among safety experts that young adult drivers are missing the benefits intended by graduated drivers licensing (GDL) according to a release from AAA announcing results of the study. 

These findings mark a significant drop from two decades ago when data showed more than two-thirds of teens were licensed by the time they turned 18.

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“With so many teens waiting to get their license until they turn 18, there’s a segment of this generation missing opportunities to learn under the safeguards that GDL provides,” said Robert Sinclair Jr., manager of media relations for AAA New York. “For most, not having a car, or having alternatives for getting around, are the top reasons cited for delaying what has traditionally been considered to be a rite of passage.”

A number of reasons for delaying licensure were cited, according to the AAA study, including:

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  • 44 percent – Did not have a car
  • 39 percent – Could get around without driving
  • 36 percent – Gas was too expensive
  • 36 percent – Driving was too expensive
  • 35 percent – “Just didn’t get around to it”

Low-income and minority teens are the least likely to obtain a driver’s license before age 18. Only 25 percent of teens living in households with incomes less than $20,000 obtained their license before they turned 18, while 79 percent of teens were licensed by their eighteenth birthday in households with incomes of $100,000 or more. The findings for licensure by age 18 differed significantly by race and ethnicity, with 67 percent for non-Hispanic white teens, 37 percent for non-Hispanic black teens, and 29 percent for Hispanic teens.

“For a range of reasons, young adults increasingly are getting licensed without the benefit of parental supervision, extensive practice and gaining experience under less risky conditions that are the hallmark of a safety-focused licensing system,” said Sinclair in the release. “Researchers and policymakers should examine whether existing state GDL systems – nearly all of which end once a teen turns 18 – can be modified to improve safety for these young adult novice drivers," said Sinclair in the release.


AAA has worked for nearly two decades to recommend that all states adopt and enforce a comprehensive three-stage (learner’s permit, intermediate/probationary license, full/unrestricted license) graduated driver licensing (GDL) system for novice teen drivers. These programs require minimum holding periods and practice requirements for teens with learner’s permits, followed by restricted licenses that limit driving at night or with peer passengers. These requirements help novice drivers safely gain the skills and experience needed to become safe adult drivers.

Previous AAA Foundation research found that states with comprehensive GDL systems have experienced a 38 percent decrease in fatal crashes involving 16 year-olds and a 40 percent reduction in injury crashes.

The researchers surveyed a nationally-representative sample of 1,039 respondents ages 18-20. The full research report and survey results can be found on the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety website.

 


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