Does Graduated Licensing Help Wisconsin Teen Drivers?

In a separate article, we have pointed out how important it is for the Wisconsin parents of young and inexperienced drivers to pay attention, not just to their teen's driving ability, but also to their attitude and maturity.
If parents can help their sons or daughters become responsible drivers and avoid serious car accidents in Wisconsin, a Graduated Drivers Licensing (GDL) approach is by far the best way to let them acquire both driving skills and experience in a relatively short time.
You just can't tell a 16-year-old “you are on your own, now” and expect him or her to survive in traffic situations that are challenging even for drivers with decades of experience. As in everything else, acquiring driving skills is a patient, gradual process.
GDL is a system to grant driving privileges to teens in three stages:

• A supervised learning period: After a number of theoretical and practical tests, the teen driver receives a learner’s permit. The learner then drives a minimum number of hours for a given period with adult supervision.
• An intermediate license: With this license, the teen driver may drive without supervision but is subject to restrictions regarding driving at night, cell phone use or the number of passengers.
• A full-privilege license: After successfully passing the first two stages, the driver earns the same driving license as any other motorist.

GDL takes more time than other methods, usually up to 50 hours. This may seem like a lot, but only represents 2 hours per week over a period of six months. There is no need to rush the learning process to keep teens out of a Wisconsin car wreck, and there are many driving situations and skills to test, like driving in snow, rain, fog, at night, facing a blinding sun, on narrow and crowded city streets, on freeways and interchanges, rural roads and suburbs.
In states where comprehensive GDL has been enacted, studies have found that there was a 20 percent reduction in fatal crashes involving teen drivers.
If you have been injured in a Wisconsin or Illinois car accident, contact the Milwaukee auto accident attorneys of Hupy & Abraham today at 800-800-5676 (toll-free) or 414-223-4800 (local) for a free evaluation of your case, or send us an e-mail with your questions. Hupy & Abraham have lawyer offices in Milwaukee, Madison, Appleton in Wisconsin, and Gurnee and Bloomington in Illinois.