B.C.’s 18-year-olds a higher crash risk Insurance, research, programs, higher, reduce

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B.C.’s 18-year-olds a higher crash risk
Graduated licensing reduces crashes for 16-year-olds, increases them for 18-year-olds: Study



VANCOUVER — Graduated licensing programs meant to reduce crashes by new drivers have benefited 16-year-olds, but may be inadvertently increasing crash rates among 18-year-olds, research shows.


In B.C., the crash rate for 18-year-olds is nearly eight times higher than for 16-year-olds, a Vancouver Sun examination of Insurance Corp. of B.C. data shows.


The information was obtained after a new study on teen drivers in the Journal of the American Medical Association showed that graduated licensing programs may have unintended negative effects on 18-year-olds while mostly protecting 16-year-olds.


B.C.'s graduated program, which began in 1998 and has subsequently been beefed up, puts restrictions on all new drivers (regardless of age) for the one-year learner's stage period and the subsequent two-year novice stage.


Restrictions during the learner's stage include passenger limits, not driving between midnight and 5 a.m., and driving with a qualified supervisor.


But the authors of the American study said these very restrictions — aimed at ensuring the youngest drivers gain extensive experience in low-risk situations before they drive in riskier conditions — may be causing them problems when they get older.


That's because they may not be learning as much — or as quickly — through experience as they did before graduated programs came into effect.


"The amount learned during the (graduated licensing) programs may not be comparable to what was learned previously, when young drivers learned through experience alone," said the American journal study, led by Scott Masten of the California Department of Motor Vehicles.


"Mandatory periods of supervised driving clearly reduce risk while novices learn how to handle a vehicle, gain insights into the behaviours of other drivers, and develop understanding of the physical driving environment.


"Supervised driving however, is co-driving, and some important lessons of experience, such as the need for self-regulation and what it means to be fully responsible for a vehicle, cannot be learned until teens begin driving alone."


ICBC spokesman Adam Grossman said the issue is about driver experience, rather than age.

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"We believe what their study is really showing is what happens when driver restrictions and supervision is lifted. You could be a new driver at 40 — it does happen — and face the same issues a new driver would at 18.


"We believe B.C. is on the cutting edge in using a graduated licensing program to address the need for novice stage drivers to develop and demonstrate safe-driving practices before they can qualify for their full-privilege licence.


"Unlike many of the (programs) in the U.S., ours applies to all new drivers regardless of age. The goal is the same — to give new drivers time to gain the skills and experience they need in a more controlled, lower-risk environment."


In B.C., once new drivers complete the one-year learner stage and pass their road test, they go on to the novice stage. They must have 24 months of prohibition-free driving (no alcohol offences) to graduate to a full-privileges driver's licence. The novice stage can be reduced by six months if an ICBC-approved driver education course is taken during the learner's stage and the driver has not caused any crashes or received any tickets.


Grossman said similar to what the American study found, most of the crash reduction benefits occur during the learner stage, when new drivers have supervision and are restricted from carrying more than a few passengers or driving after midnight.


"In an evaluation from 2004 to 2006, we found that enhancements made to the program in 2003 resulted in 28 per cent (17,500) fewer crashes involving new drivers — including 4,137 fewer crashes resulting in injury — and 31 fewer deaths involving new drivers," he said.


Dr. Jeff Brubacher, a Vancouver emergency room doctor with a special interest in accident prevention research, said there are other reasons for more crashes among older teens.


"There have always been more fatalities in 18-year-old drivers than in 16-year-olds, in places with graduated programs and in places without. This is because 18-year-olds are more likely to have a licence, drive a lot more, and (may be) more likely to drink and drive."


ICBC data show the current population of 16-year-old drivers is 26,430. The number of 18-year-old drivers is 39,250. In the past five years, there were an average of 640 crashes involving 16-year-old drivers and 7,400 crashes involving 18-year-old drivers.


The average crash rate for 16-year-old drivers was 242 per 10,000 and was 1,880 per 10,000 for 18-year-olds.


The good news is that crash rates in B.C. have been falling; for the last three years for 16-year-olds, and for the last four years for 18-year-olds.


Researchers of the American study looked at the incidence of crashes from 1986 to 2007 in 50 states.


They found the fatal crash incidence among teen drivers increased with age, from 28.2 per 100,000 (16-year-old drivers) to 36.9 per 100,000 (17-year-olds), before reaching a plateau of 46.2 per 100,000 (18-year-olds) and 44 per 100,000 (19-year-olds).

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Graduated licensing programs meant to reduce crashes by new drivers have benefited 16-year-olds, but may be inadvertently increasing crash rates among 18-year-olds, research shows