OAI: Auto Insurance Survey Highlights GDL Issue

    RANCHO CUCAMONGA, CA, October 04, 2011 /24-7PressRelease/ -- A new survey that shows most parents nationwide trust their teenage children to drive but are worried about other teens on the road also underscores the value of state licensing programs that make young people work harder to earn driving privileges, according to Online Auto Insurance.

Statistics show that teen drivers are more likely than more experienced motorists to get into accidents, a fact that has led many states to tighten driving restrictions for teens and can make it difficult for this high risk auto insurance group to find affordable coverage.

According to an Allstate survey released recently, 79 percent of parents support state graduated driver licensing (GDL) laws that require a longer and more rigorous learning period before young people are given full licenses. And more than half "strongly support" those programs, according to the poll.

Federal safety officials say teenage motorists from 16 to 19 are four times more likely than older drivers to get into crashes, with auto accidents accounting for one-third of teen deaths nationwide.

But research has shown that GDL programs make a difference. The number of fatal crashes nationwide involving 16- and 17-year-old drivers fell by 36 percent from 2004 to 2008, a decline that safety officials attribute in part to GDL programs.

Source: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5941a2.htm

GDL programs in place across the country include three phases through which teens must pass in order to qualify for full driving privileges, including a supervised learning period, an intermediate license that restricts when and with whom teens may drive and a full license once all other requirements are met.

According to the Insurance Information Institute (III), teens are more dangerous than other drivers because of a mix of immaturity and inexperience in the driver's seat. They are more likely to text or talk on cell phones or with passengers while driving and engage in other forms of distracted driving.

Teens are also more likely to be involved in crashes late in the day or at night, III has reported.

GDL programs in every state address these and other safety issues by allowing teens to gain valuable experience behind the wheel in less dangerous circumstances and by restricting teen drivers until they are ready for full privileges.

To learn more about this and other safety and coverage issues, readers can go to http://www.onlineautoinsurance.com/high-risk/ where they will find informative resource pages and a helpful rate-comparison generator.

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