North Carolina Graduated Drivers License System

The inexperience of many teenage drivers leads them to engage in risky behavior while driving and leads to more crashes than for experienced drivers. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, in the United States, 16-year-olds have almost 10 times the crash risk of drivers ages 30-59 and almost three times the risk of older teenagers. (Williams, A.F. 1996 Magnitude and characteristics of the young driver crash problem in the United States. New to the Road: Reducing the Risks for Young Motorists. Proceedings of the First Annual International Symposium of the Youth Enhancement Service (ed. H.M. Simpson), 19-25. Los Angeles, CA: University of California, Graduated Licensing: A Blueprint for North America, August 2004.) In addition, almost 48 percent of all nighttime crashes involving teenage drivers occur between 9 p.m. and midnight.† (Source: Figure 3: Distribution of Nighttime Crashes by Driver Age; UNC Highway Safety Research Center "Graduated Licensing: A Proposed Solution to the Novice Driver Problem in North Carolina.") To combat this problem, North Carolina instituted a graduated licensing program to phase inexperienced teenage drivers into full driving privileges. The North Carolina graduated licensing system has three levels for teenage drivers to complete before obtaining full driving privileges. If a teenage driver completes all of the steps without acquiring any traffi c violation, they can obtain full driving privileges by age 16. The three-step graduated license system is described below.

Level One: The Limited Learner's Permit 

Any teenager between ages 15 and 18 who has passed the written, sign and vision tests at the Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) is eligible for the Limited Learner's Permit. An eligible driver must fi rst obtain a Limited Learner's Permit for one year and maintain a clean driving record during that year. During the first six months, the driver may only drive from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. and only while accompanied by a supervising driver in the passenger seat. After the initial six months, the driver can drive any time of day with a supervising driver in the passenger seat.

Level Two: The Limited Provisional License

After one year of driving with a Limited Learner's Permit and a supervising driver, any person between the ages of 16 and 18 is eligible for a Limited Provisional License, which allows drivers to drive without supervision from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m., or when they are driving to and from work, volunteer fi re, rescue or emergency medical service. They must keep the Limited Provisional License a full six months without any traffi c violations before applying for the next level, the Provisional License.

Level Three: The Provisional License

Any driver under the age of 18 who has completed a DMV-approved driver education course is considered a Provisional Licensee. A Provisional License allows the driver to drive without supervision at any time of day or night. The Provisional Licensee is held to strict guidelines. The DMV reviews the driving records of Provisional License holders very closely and revokes any Provisional Licenses for a year if the driver is convicted of driving under the infl uence of drugs or alcohol.

The Result

Fifty-eight jurisdictions (District of Columbia, 47 U.S. states, nine Canadian provinces and one Canadian territory) have enacted one or more elements of graduated licensing, all but a few of which were enacted since 1994. Comparing 1996 crash statistics to 1999, fatal crashes declined 57 percent, and crashes with no or minor injuries decreased 23 percent for 16-year-old drivers. Nighttime crashes during the restricted hours declined 47 percent for 16-year-old drivers in North Carolina, compared to 22 percent during the day, after the graduated license program was enacted.

Sources:
Graduated Licensing: A Blueprint for North America, August 2004.
Status Report. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. 2004.
Insurance Information Institute "Teen Drivers." January 2003.
UNC Highway Safety Research Center. "Initial Effects of Graduated Driver Licensing of 16-Year-Old
Driver Crashes in North Carolina."
Status Report. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. February 17, 2001. Vol. 36, No. 2.
Status Report. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Page 6. February 6, 1999. Vol. 34, No. 2.

Private Passenger Automobile Insurance By State Combined Average Premium 2003