Governors’ Highway Safety Association Considers Graduated Licensing for Driver Safety

By Hardwick & Pendergast, P.S. on November 6, 2012

Learning to drive and receiving that first driver’s license are key rites of passage in the lives of U.S. teens. But the inexperience of teen drivers increases many of the risks they face on the road, any of which can lead to a serious accident.

In order to help protect teen drivers and get them the skills they need to stay safe, the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) recently commented on plans by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to encourage graduated driver’s licensing programs in all 50 states.

Suggestions offered by the NHTSA and commented upon by the GHSA include requiring 40 hours of practice before teens are licensed to drive without an adult; requiring a driver training course before a license can be given; and requiring novice drivers to have someone 21 or older accompanying them in the vehicle.

Currently, the GHSA notes, very few states comply with all of the NHTSA’s suggestions. If the recommendations become rules, many states will have to change part or all of their driver training and licensing methods. The NHTSA and other agencies are still considering whether improvements in safety offered by these changes are worth the work it would take to implement them.

Driving is a source of independence for teens and a chance to learn responsibility. Yet when an accident occurs, a teen driver or passenger may be seriously injured. If you or someone you love has been injured in a teen driver accident, the skilled Washington auto accident injury attorneys at Hardwick & Pendergast, P.S. can help. Call us today at (888) 228-3860 for a free, confidential case evaluation.