Graduated licensing is a system which delays full driving privileges until a certain level of experience has been attained. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, as of June 2001 32 states and the District of Columbia have passed a graduated licensing program into law.

The specifics of this system differ from state to state, but all consist of three steps:

Learning Period
Before taking the licensing test, young drivers must log a specified amount of practice driving under the supervision of an experienced licensed driver (usually a certain number of hours, or a time period, typically 6 months).

Restricted License
During the restricted phase teens can drive without supervision, with some restrictions. In some states this phase lasts until the driver is 18 years old.

• Limitations on time of day that teen drivers can drive(not after 10 PM, for example);
• Limitations on the number of passengers, or the number of passengers under 21 years of age;
• Proof of additional driving practice with a parent or other experienced driver;
• Limitations on where passengers can sit in the car; and
• Limitations on the types of vehicles that can be driven.

Full License
Once the restricted phase is complete, the driver is issued a full-privilege license.

What's the thinking behind Graduated Licensing? Teenagers are disproportionately involved in motor vehicle crashes. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety attributes 82% of crashes involving 16-year-old drivers to driver error caused by risk taking and inexperience. Graduated Licensing systems help protect young people, by not granting a full- privilege driver's license until they gain maturity and experience behind the wheel.

Does this mean the driving age has been raised? Absolutely not. Graduated licensing programs simply limit new drivers' exposure to risks while they are learning to drive. Also, this system more directly involves parents. Traffic Crashes - both alcohol and non-alcohol related - have been proven to be reduced by nighttime driving curfews, increased age for licensure, and graduated driving privileges (in which a variety of driving restrictions are lifted as the driver gains experience and maturity).

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has a very informative report outlining what they consider to be an appropriate Graduated Licensing program, and a chart illustrating how well each of the 50 states meet their suggested guidelines.

For more information on graduated licensing and other issues related to teen driving, check out these articles:

• Questions and Answers About Graduated Licensing
• Getting Ready to Drive
• Use it and Lose it
• Rules of the Road for Teens