In the Oklahoma House Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety Oversight, Advocates supports Senate Bill (SB) 1687. This measure would increase the holding period for an intermediate class D license (intermediate license) by requiring novice teen drivers to attain age 18 before getting a full class D license (full license), unless they have taken driver education. In doing so, SB 1687 would strengthen the graduated driver licensing (GDL) law by delaying the ability of these drivers to gain the full license privileges of driving at night and driving unsupervised with multiple non-household teen passengers.
Teenagers drive less than all but the oldest drivers, yet their number of crashes and crash deaths are disproportionately high. Per mile driven, teen drivers have crash rates nearly four times higher than drivers aged 20 and older. Risk is highest at ages 16-17. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), teens are more likely to misjudge dangerous situations or to not be able to recognize hazardous situations.
Delaying the minimum age for obtaining a learner’s permit was associated with lower fatal crash rates for 15- to 17-year-olds combined, and a one-year delay (e.g., from age 15 to 16) reduced the fatal crash rate by 13 percent. A minimum holding period of five to six months reduces fatal crash rates by nine percent; however, extending the holding period to nine months to a year results in a 21 percent reduction.
We urge committee members to advance this legislation.
Read the full letter here.