Iowa

Fighting for Graduated Driver’s License Laws in Iowa

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for teenagers. On average, more than 10 teens are killed each day in the United States and many more are injured as a result of motor vehicle crashes. Driving inexperience, lack of good judgment and risk-taking behaviors are often key factors that contribute to their crash risk. Drivers between the ages of 16 and 19 are four times as likely to be involved in a crash as other drivers.

That is why State Farm Insurance strongly supports Graduated Driver Licensing laws. GDL is one of the few tools that is effective in reducing the crash risk of new drivers. Furthermore, it is an experience-based method for novice drivers in which driving privileges are introduced in phases. The objective of GDL is to keep teens out of high-risk driving situations while permitting them to gain on-road experience in low-risk environments.

“Graduated driver licensing is about maximizing experience and minimizing risks for new young drivers,” said Terry Barton, State Farm Insurance’s Vice President of Agency for Iowa. “New teen drivers need to obtain experience gradually, over an extended period of time, in order to develop good judgment and learn the complex skills needed to drive safely. By improving the structure of driver licensing systems, this can be accomplished.”

Unfortunately, Iowa does not have a GDL law on the books. Consequently, State Farm teamed up with other Iowa organizations that are equally concerned about teen driver safety to form a grass roots coalition.

The coalition endorsed a GDL proposal that was introduced in the 2010 legislative session. The bill would have increased the period that a 16 or 17 year-old must go without an accident or violation; required that an intermediate license holder be accompanied by a parent, a guardian, a family member over 21, a driving instructor, or a person at least 25 with written permission; and imposed passenger limits.

The bill passed out of the House Transportation Committee with a vote of 17-4 and was subsequently passed out of the House with a near unanimous vote of 47-1. The legislation was passed out of the Senate committee but unfortunately, Iowa’s shortened 80-day session came into play. The bill did not receive a full Senate debate and as a result the bill did not become law in 2010.

This year, the GDL bill passed out of the Senate and as of March 11, 2011 is in the House Transportation Committee. To learn more on GDL and how to help impact teen’s ability to “Maximize their Experience and Minimize their Risk”, check out www.blankchildrens.org/gdl.