Graduated Drivers Licensing, or GDL, is a three-stage approach to granting new drivers full license privileges. Most states have some form of GDL laws in place. Generally, the three stages of GDL are:

1. Supervised learning period. A beginning driver, after passing a qualifying test, is granted a learner's permit. The teen driver is allowed to drive only with a supervising adult in the car for a given period of time or minimum number of hours before earning an intermediate license.

2. Intermediate license. At this stage, the teen driver has earned a license and no longer needs supervision to drive, but is subject to restrictions, such as a curfew, no cell phone, or the number of passengers allowed in the car. Restrictions vary from state to state.

3. Unrestricted license. The driver meets the age and other requirements to earn a fully privileged drivers license. Requirements vary from state to state.

Recommend downloading and filling-out the Parent-Teen Driving Contract with your teen driver.

There are proven methods to helping teens become safer drivers. Research suggests that the most comprehensive graduated drivers licensing (GDL) programs are associated with reductions of 9% and 43% in fatal and injury crashes.

Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) systems are designed to delay full licensure while allowing teens to get their initial driving experience under low-risk conditions.

Here are some tips to help you reduce the amount of gas you use. If you are already following these tips, you are probably getting the best gas mileage your car can deliver.

 1.  Driving More Efficiently

•  Drive Sensibly
•  Observe the Speed Limit
•  Remove Excess Weight
•  Avoid Excessive Idling
•  Use Cruise Control
•  Use Overdrive Gears
   

2.  Keep your car in shape

•  Keep Your Engine Properly Tuned
•  Keep Tires Properly Inflated
•  Use the Recommended Grade of Motor Oil
•  Replacing a Clogged Air Filter on Modern Cars Improves Performance but Not MPG
   

3.  Plan & combining trips

•  Work from home when possible
•  Avoid using roof rack or carrier on top of vehicle
•  Car pool to and from work 
   

4.  Choose a more efficient vehicle

•  The difference between a car that gets 20 MPG and one that gets 30 MPG amounts to $668 per year
•  Most Fuel-Efficient 2010 Model Year Vehicles
•  Fuel Cost Calculator
   

Click Here for more information. 

http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/driveHabits.shtml

It's the law!

Teenage drivers are less likely than adults to drive after drinking alcohol, the the risk of getting into a motor vehicle accident is greatly increased if they do, especially at low to moderate blood alcohol levels. 

At all levels of blood alcohol concentration (BAC), the risk of involvement in a motor vehicle crash is greater for teens than for older drivers.  In 2008, 16% of drivers ages 16 to 17 who died in motor vehicle crashes had a BAC of 0.08 g/dl or higher.

Nearly three out of ten teens reported that, within the previous month, they had ridden with a driver who had been drinking alcohol. One in ten reported having driven after drinking alcohol within the same one-month period.
 

• 16-year-olds are three times more likely to die in a motor vehicle crash than the average of all drivers.  16 year-olds have higher crash rates than drivers of any other age.
• 4,054 teenagers between 13-19 years old died as a result of a motor vehicle accident. This total is down by 19 percent from 2007 and 54 percent fewer than in 1975.
• Motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death among 13-19 year olds in the United States.
• Teenagers account for 10 percent of the US population. Teenagers account for 11 percent of fatalities caused by motor vehicle accidents.
• According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, 55 percent of motor vehicle crashes occurred on either a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. The month with the highest number of teenage fatalities in motor vehicles was August.
• Twenty percent of fatal crashes involving teenagers occur at nighttime (between 9:00 p.m. and 12:00 a.m.).
• Teen drivers are likely to get into a motor vehicle accident because of their immaturity and inexperience behind a motor vehicle.
• Sixty-three percent of teenage passenger fatalities occurred in a vehicle driven by another teen driver.
• Two out of three teenagers killed in motor vehicle crashes are males.

State Traffic Safety Information For Year 2008
Quick, easy access to traffic safety facts

National Teen Driving Statistics

• In 2002, 8,984 people were killed in crashes involving young drivers ages 16-20 (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA, 2003)
• 3,723 young drivers, ages 16-20, were killed in 2002 – nearly 200 more than were killed in 2001. (NHTSA, 2003)
• 14 percent of deaths due to motor vehicle accidents are teenagers. (Drivehomesafe.com)
• More than 3,800 young drivers ages 15-20 are killed every year in traffic crashes. More than 326,000 young drivers are injured. (National Safety Council)
• Young drivers are involved in fatal traffic crashes at more than twice the rate as the rest of the population. (National Safety Council)
• Teenage deaths due to motor vehicle accidents occur on weekends 53 percent of the time. (Drivehomesafe.com) • More than any age group, teens are likely to be involved in a single vehicle crash. (Drivehomesafe.com)
• On the basis of current population trends, there will be 23 percent more 16- to 20- year-old drivers on the road in 2010 than there are today – 26.1 million. The 16-year-old population alone will increase from 3.5 million to more than 4 million by 2010. (Drivehomesafe.com)
• This age group makes up 7 percent of licensed drivers, but suffers 14 percent of fatalities and 20 percent of all reported accidents. (Drivehomesafe.com)
• In 2000, the estimated economic cost of police-reported crashes involving drivers between 15 and 20 years old totaled $32.8 billion. (NHTSA)
• Motor vehicle crashes are the single biggest killer of teenagers – more than AIDS, street violence, and drug use combined. (AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety).
• Based on estimated miles traveled annually, teen drivers ages 16-19 have a fatality rate four times the rate of drivers ages 25-69. (NHTSA, 2001) In other words, teenage drivers are four times more likely to die on the road than are older drivers.
• Sixteen-year-old drivers have a crash rate three times more than 17-year-olds, 5 times greater than 18-year-olds, and two times that of 85-year-olds. (NHTSA, 2001)
• It is estimated that 16-year-olds are three times more likely to die in a motor vehicle crash than the average of all drivers. (Rocky Mountain Insurance Information Association)
• Inexperience behind the wheel is the leading cause of teenage crashes. (Rocky Mountain Insurance Information Association)

Young drivers, ages 15- to 20-years old, are especially vulnerable to death and injury on our roadways – traffic crashes are the leading cause of death for teenagers in America. Mile for mile, teenagers are involved in three times as many fatal crashes as all other drivers.

The Causes
Research shows which behaviors contribute to teen-related crashes. Inexperience and immaturity combined with speed, drinking and driving, not wearing seat belts, distracted driving (cell phone use, loud music, other teen passengers, etc.), drowsy driving, nighttime driving, and other drug use aggravate this problem.

What can parents/guardians do?
Parents must take a proactive approach in educating their teenager about the dangers these risks can have if not taken seriously.  Parents should be role models for their teen driver with promoting safe driving habits.

• Enforce seat belt use at all times
• Continue to ask questions and provide positive feedback
• Reducing teens' access to alcohol
• Subscribe to Tattle Teen Driver's monitoring service to be informed of incidences outside the parents presence
• Enforce your state's laws, including curfew and passenger limits

Go to the NHTSA website for more information