Study shows graduated driver’s licenses working

Iowa’s graduated driver licensing system has been in place two-and-a-half years now and a study shows it -is- preventing teen injuries and deaths. The study by Triple-A Motor Club of Iowa predicts graduated driver licensing or G-D-L will have a profound impact on the state’s teen population in the years to come. Club spokesman Daren Van Helden says the G-D-L has proven itself effective in reducing crashes involving 16- and 17-year-olds.The study predicts G-D-L will cut the number of teen crashes in Iowa by 15-percent over the next decade, trimming traffic deaths two-and-a-half percent and eliminating seven thousand injuries. In economic terms, that’s 151-million dollars saved. Van Helden says under the G-D-L system, teens have to get certain training and experience to earn privileges like being able to drive at night and carry several passengers. They also have to stay accident-free and ticket-free. He says that provides incentives for kids to not take risky actions.Iowa’s graduated driver licensing program went into effect January 1, 1999.