Predicting Outcomes of Proposed Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) Legislation

Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) systems help new drivers gain skills under lower-risk conditions. As drivers move through the three stages of GDL, they are given more driving privileges such as driving at night or with passengers. While GDL systems are proven to reduce teen crashes and deaths, there is considerable variation across States and opportunities for improvement. State legislatures passed an average of 11 ‘upgrades’ to existing GDL laws each year between 1998 and 2010, but few changes to GDL laws have been made in the past ten years. This research project explores the reasons for the slowdown. The first approach is a quantitative study using secondary source data about GDL legislation proposed in State legislatures in the past five year to examine the factors that predict how far the legislation progressed through the process. The second approach is a qualitative approach using nine in-depth case studies of proposed legislation including interviews, legislative history, and media reports. A final report will describe the findings

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Funding: $429074
• Contract Numbers:

  DTNH2217D00031

  693JJ921F000047

• Sponsor Organizations:

  National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, D.C.  United States  20590

  Office of Behavioral Safety Research

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, District of Columbia  United States  20590
• Managing Organizations:

  National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, D.C.  United States  20590
• Project Managers:

  Watson, Christine

• Performing Organizations:

  Dunlap and Associates, Inc.

  110 Lenox Avenue
  Stamford, CT  United States  06906-2300
• Principal Investigators:

  Watson, Christine

• Start Date: 20210414
• Expected Completion Date: 20251231
• Actual Completion Date: 0
• USDOT Program: Behavioral Safety Research
• Subprogram: Novice Driver Safety

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Case studies; Forecasting; Graduated licensing; Legislation; State laws; States
• Subject Areas: Highways; Law; Planning and Forecasting; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01770754
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
• Contract Numbers: DTNH2217D00031, 693JJ921F000047
• Files: RIP, USDOT
• Created Date: Apr 28 2021 3:23PM