A Critical Examination of the Arguments Against Raising the Car Driver Licensing Age in New Zealand

Abstract

Objectives: In 1987, to address an increasing problem of injury among young drivers, New Zealand chose a graduated driver licensing system (GDLS), in preference to raising the minimum car driver licensing age. Since 1987 the GDLS has contributed to a significant reduction in young driver injury, but a recent spate of high-profile crashes has raised public concern about young drivers and road safety. In response to this concern, a bill has been introduced into the parliament to increase the minimum driver licensing age from 15 to 16 years. In this article we critically examine some of the arguments against raising the licensing age. Our motivation for doing this is that many of the arguments against raising the driver's license age, though they have high face validity, are often presented without any supporting evidence.

Method : Our sources for argument include Hansard (New Zealand parliament's official record), various public media, various agencies Web sites, census data, and published papers. The arguments examined against raising the age were the impact on the mobility of 15- and 16-year-olds, disadvantage to the rural sector, alternative transport options, increasing the age shifts the problem, changing the law will not change young driver behaviors, changing the law will not fix the problem, and education is the answer.

Results: For each of the topics available, data were examined to quantify the extent to which these factors would affect young drivers if the minimum driver licensing age was raised to 16 years.

Conclusion : The evidence demonstrates that young age, independent of experience, is a major determinant of risk; therefore, raising the minimum licensing age would have safety benefits. We also show that many of the arguments against raising the age are based on either no evidence or misinformation. Though raising the licensing age would to some extent disadvantage the rural sector, it may also be in the rural sector where the greatest gains in crash reduction are made.

Keywords:

• Youth
• Driver licensing age
• Graduated driver licensing

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The Injury Prevention Research Unit is funded by grants from the Health Research Council of New Zealand, the Accident Compensation Corporation, and the Road Safety Trust. The authors thank Associate Professor Shanthi Ameratunga and Dr. Kypros Kypri for their comments on an earlier version of this article.

Notes

¹For drivers over 25 years the comparable restricted license periods are six months or three months if a course is completed.

²The New Zealand Parliamentary Debates (Hansard) is the edited report of the proceedings of the House. An Advance is published first and is later replaced by a corrected final copy. Please note that the bound volume of New Zealand Parliamentary Debates (Hansard), published under the authority of the House of Representatives, is the only official report of the proceedings of the House.