Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change Committee - written evidence
Prepared by Dr Sarah J Jones, Honorary Senior Lecturer, Cardiff University and Locum Consultant in Public Health, Public Health Wales.
1. What is graduated driver licensing?
Graduated driver licensing (GDL) is a system that allows new drivers to gain driving experience under conditions of reduced risk.
It reduces exposure to high risk driving. We know that for new young drivers, high risk driving is night time driving, carrying passengers of a similar age and driving having drunk alcohol.
How does it work?
It works by adding an intermediate stage between the learner and full licence stage. In the intermediate stage, the new driver has more permissions than during the learner stage, but not unrestricted driving as in the full licence stage.
The permissions commonly granted are to allow unaccompanied driving during ‘daytime’ and to allow for some passengers to be carried. Permissions not usually granted are ‘night-time driving’ (usually between 9 or 10pm and 5 or 6am), carrying passengers of a similar age (for young drivers only, usually aged 15 to 24) and BAC of above zero.
However, most systems also allow exemptions. So, a young person travelling directly from home to work or school would be exempt from the night time restriction. Therefore, it does not impede access to employment or education. The restrictions are also lifted if there is an older, fully licensed driver in the vehicle who is also sober and willing to act as a supervisor.
There is no consensus on whether GDL should apply to all new drivers or just new young drivers. In New Zealand, all new drivers are subject to GDL because all new drivers are at high risk of crashing. In most parts of Australia, only new young drivers are subject to GDL.
How long does it last?
There is no consensus on the ‘best’ duration for a GDL programme. However, programmes tend to have a learner period of a minimum of 6 months, followed by an intermediate period of around 2 years.
There are differences in the methods of ‘exit’ from each step. In some countries, there is a test at the end of both the learner and intermediate phase, while in others it is a test at the end of the learner phase only, with the intermediate phase completed based on time alone.
Generally, there are minimum ages at which each stage can begin / end and minimum durations for each stage. This means that although in many countries young people can start to learn to drive earlier than in the UK, because of GDL they actually can not receive a full licence until later than young people in the UK; often 18 years at the earliest.
Offences committed during the learner and intermediate phase can lead to the offender being returned to the beginning of the phase.
2. Why would the introduction of graduated driver licensing reduce road accidents and casualties?
GDL would reduce crashes by restricting exposure to the conditions in which new drivers are most likely to crash. Epidemiological evidence is available to show that young drivers are more likely to crash at night or with similar aged passengers. In addition, by restricting passenger numbers, should a crash occur, there are fewer potential casualties.
GDL has been demonstrated to be effective in reducing crashes and casualties in many other parts of the world, e.g. New Zealand, Australia and the USA. A systematic review of the evidence of effectiveness of GDL carried out by the Cochrane Collaboration showed only positive effects of GDL in terms of crash and casualty reduction. It is difficult to estimate the effect of GDL because of the different jurisdictions in which it operates, for example, in most parts of the USA drinking is not legal until the age of 21, making a BAC restriction of little value. However, effects of up to 70% reduction in crashes and casualties have been reported, with 20-30% reductions common.
Many people argue that just because it works ‘there’, then it will not necessarily work here and that young people in those countries learn to drive earlier.
No, there are no guarantees that it would work here. But, current practice is not having an impact on young driver crash rates. In Scotland, between 2000 and 2007, there was almost no change in numbers of crashes involving young drivers (around 1400 p.a.; figure 1). However, crashes involving older drivers dropped from around 13,600 to around 11,000, a drop of 19.1%. Casualty trends are similar (figure 2).
Figure 1:- Changes in crashes involving young drivers (17 to 19 years) and older drivers in Scotland 2000-2007
Figure 2:- Changes in casualties in young drivers (17 to 19 years) and older driver crashes in Scotland 2000-2007
In addition, if we took the approach that something that works somewhere else will not necessarily work here about everything, we would have failed to progress in almost every area of our lives. For example, the NHS is a very different health care system to that in operation in many other parts of the world, but the NHS has still benefitted from innovations developed in other parts of the world.
Finally, it is the case that people may be able to begin learning to drive in other countries at a younger age than in the UK. But, GDL means that they may spend up to 3.5 years in learner or intermediate stages before being eligible for a full licence. This often means that they obtain a full licence at a later age than in the UK. In the UK, it is possible to go from non-driver to fully licenced in a few months or even weeks.
3. How would such a scheme be policed and what sanctions would need to be available for breaching its terms to provide a creditable deterrent?
Generally, parents are regarded as the primary enforcers of GDL, supported by the police force. In addition, policing is needed to deter those who do not have parents either willing or able to provide enforcement. Ignoring this issue risks creating further inequalities in those at risk of crashing[1].
Parental attitudes to GDL in other parts of the world where it has been introduced are generally positive. Parents feel empowered to refuse to allow their teenagers to drive in high risk situations. There is also evidence that the young drivers themselves feel empowered to refuse to drive in high risk situations.
Enforcement is essential to realising crash and casualty reductions. In other countries sanctions take the form of penalty points, with a licence revoked after a set number are accumulated, fines, re-setting time ‘served’ in the intermediate stage back to zero and the vehicle being seized.
One argument used against GDL is that the police do not have time to enforce it. However, it is often stated that road traffic crashes take up large amounts of police time to manage both the crash and the effects of the crash. Crashes also have a negative effect on the economy. By reducing crashes, the police would logically have more time for enforcement and the economy would also benefit.
Finally, there are many calls to ban smoking in cars. This is generally felt to be the next logical step in reducing the numbers of people who smoke, so that we can all realise the health benefits. Far fewer people appear to be criticising this move on the basis of difficulties of enforcement, yet it is likely to be at least as difficult, if not more so, than enforcing GDL.
4. Recognising the reserved nature of driver licensing, is there a role for the Scottish road safety community in encouraging its introduction?
Acknowledging that GDL is reserved, I believe that the Scottish road safety community should take a lead from those who implemented the smoking ban in Scotland ahead of the rest of the UK.
Scotland is already beginning to do this. Work by, for example, David Stewart, MSP, is raising the profile of GDL. This is needed so that people begin to discuss it, debate it and consider how it would be enforced. One of the most revealing aspects of discussions that I have been involved in is that most people are not aware of GDL and want to talk about it.
I believe that the Scottish road safety community has the potential to lead the rest of the UK in encouraging the introduction of GDL.
5.Some final comments
Young driver crashes are an important Public Health problem. They place a huge burden upon health, health services and the economy. The difficulty is that one agency, Transport, is being asked to take action so that many other agencies, for example Health, Trade and Industry, see the benefit.
As shown above, action is needed because young driver crashes and casualties are showing no change at a time when older driver crashes have decreased considerably. The current response of the Department for Transport (DfT) is to address the learner process. There is evidence to suggest that this has the potential to further reduce the learner period, so reduce the number of hours for which learners are learning, and to increase crash risk because new drivers are over confident and lack experience.
Finally, to take a wider perspective; there is much discussion and debate about the need to reduce dependence on cars and increase use of public transport. However, current processes encourage young people to turn 17 and gain access to a car as quickly as possible. It is possible that the new proposals from DfT will further promote this belief. By introducing GDL, we, in effect, slow the process by which a car is regarded as the primary mode of transport.
[1] It may be of interest that unlike for many other injuries, all new young drivers are at risk of crashing, not just those it a particular ‘deprivation’ group. Failure to fully enforce GDL, e.g., if it was seen to be only the responsibility of parents may lead to deprivation based inequalities in young driver crashes being created.