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Impact of the graduated driver licensing program in Nova
Scotia
Report from the Traffic Injury Research Foundation
Introduction
Concern over the high crash rates of beginning drivers has prompted a steadily
increasing number of jurisdictions in North America to design and implement
a system called graduated licensing (Williams and Mayhew 1999). Its primary
objective is to reduce collision rates by ensuring new drivers gain experience
and can mature under conditions of low risk, before graduating to more demanding
driving conditions.
The rationale for graduated licensing is compelling and there is independent
evidence of the effectiveness of some of its more popular components, such
as night curfews (Preusser et al. 1984; Williams et al. 1985; Preusser et
al. 1993) and lower BAC limits (Smith 1986; Hingson et al. 1989). However,
there is only scattered evidence of the effectiveness of an integrated graduated
licensing system (Langley et al. 1996; Boase and Tasca 1998; Ulmer et al.
1999) and little is known about the relative benefits of its various features.
This is so primarily because most jurisdictions have only recently implemented
their graduated licensing programs (see Williams and Mayhew 1999).
Perhaps the most widely cited evaluation involves the program introduced
in New Zealand in 1987 (Langley et al. 1996). It found a 7% reduction in
casualty collisions among the target group. A very recent evaluation of
the program in Florida (Ulmer et al. 1999) found a strikingly similar impact
– a 9% decrease in casualty crashes. A beneficial impact was also found
in the evaluation of the graduated licensing program introduced in Ontario,
Canada in 1994 (Boase and Tasca 1998) but the effect was much more pronounced
– a 24% reduction in casualty crashes among all novice drivers.
These evaluations have all shown beneficial effects of graduated licensing
but there is still a need for further confirmation of its impact. The primary
purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effects of a graduated
licensing program introduced in Nova Scotia, Canada in October 1994. The
secondary purpose was to gauge the safety impact of this program relative
to others that have been evaluated.
The Nova Scotia program applies to all novice drivers, regardless of age,
and spans 2½ years in two stages – a 6-month Learner Phase (LP) is followed
by a 24-month Newly Licensed Driver Phase (NLDP). During the LP there are
three restrictions: the novice must be accompanied by an experienced driver
who sits in the front passenger seat; no other passengers are allowed in
the vehicle; and the driver must be alcohol-free (i.e., have a zero BAC).
The LP can be reduced from six months to three months if the novice completes
a recognized driver education or training course.
To enter the NLDP, the learner must pass a road test. Four restrictions
then apply: a night curfew, in which driving is not permitted between midnight
and 5 a.m. unless the novice is accompanied by an experienced driver; a
zero BAC; only one front-seat passenger; and, rear seat passengers are limited
to the number of available seat belts. To graduate from the NLDP, the novice
must complete a six-hour defensive driving course or a recognized driver
training course but no time discount is given for completing the driver
education course in the NLDP. License suspensions during either the LP or
NLDP delay graduation to the next stage by the minimum time required at
that stage.
The graduated licensing program differs markedly from the previous system
of licensing new drivers. For example, under the prior program the novice
held the learner’s license for only 60 days, not six months, and no restrictions
applied during the subsequent probationary phase.
The new program was introduced in the fall of 1994, so most drivers were
still in the system when the data for this evaluation were captured. Accordingly,
this report examines only the short-term impact of the program – during
the time when most novices are still covered by the restrictions.
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