ICBC justifies age-related licensing conditions

Lives saved by stronger rules for new drivers.

Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General.

Stronger rules for the Graduated Licensing Program (GLP), which took effect in 2003, saved at least 31 lives and prevented 17,500 crashes involving new drivers in the three-year period following the changes, Solicitor General Kash Heed announced today.

“This government toughened the rules for new drivers six years ago, and it has been a public safety success,” Heed said. “The number of crashes dropped by 28 per cent, and most importantly there were 4,000 fewer crashes with injuries.”

ICBC examined crash rates before and after the changes to the GLP, and used comparison groups of other drivers to rule out demographics, weather or other external factors for the decrease in crashes. In the program’s first three years, the new driver crash rate dropped by almost 16 per cent.

The GLP program began in 1998, and in 2003 it was enhanced with these changes:

• The learner stage was extended from six months to one year.

• The novice stage was extended from 18 months to two years, with the provision the novice driver not have any driving prohibitions for 24 consecutive months.

• For learners, the supervisor age requirement was raised from 19 to 25 years.

• Novice drivers were restricted to carrying one passenger unless accompanied by a supervisor, or unless the passengers are immediate family members.

“Increasing restrictions for learner and novice drivers gives them time to learn essential road safety skills and attitudes that save lives and reduce injuries,” Heed said.

Starting Jan. 1, 2010, drivers in the GLP program will not be permitted to use hand-held or hands-free cellphones, or any other electronic device while driving. New drivers, particularly the 16-24 age group, use electronic devices more and that, combined with their inexperience, makes this group even more vulnerable to driver distraction.

“GLP has made roads safer for everyone,” said Fred Hess, ICBC’s vice-president of licensing. “We want to thank young drivers for making smart choices in the GLP and helping to make our roads safer for everyone.”

Heed and Hess announced ICBC’s research findings at Killarney Secondary school in Vancouver, where 31 students dramatized the GLP’s impact and the number of lives saved.

For more information on the Graduated Licensing Program:
http://icbc.com/driver-licensing/getting-licensed/graduated-licensing.

For the full evaluation of the GLP enhancements:
http://icbc.com/driver-licensing/getting-licensed/graduated-licensing/glp-report.

Vancouver
November 27, 2009
Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General
2009PSSG0038-000681