Parent attitudes toward licensing restrictions to reduce teen motor vehicle crash risk

Background/Purpose. Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) exists in most US states and is effective in reducing motor vehicle crashes among teens. Most GDL programs are multi-phased and include restrictions on teens' initial licensed driving. Parents play an important role in enforcing license restrictions. Learning more about parents' attitudes toward GDL restrictions may help states and community agencies create and disseminate effective teen driving resources for parents. Methods. A nationwide telephone survey about GDL was conducted with parents of 15-17 year old teens (N=1,393) using a randomized split design. Predictors of attitudes toward GDL restrictions were examined using multinomial logistic regression. Parents of teens in either the learner phase or restricted phase of GDL were included in the analysis (n=781). Results/Outcomes. A majority of parents supported or strongly supported three common GDL restrictions on: use of cell phones while driving (93.6%), driving at night (75.0%), and driving with teen passengers (84.5%). Parents who strongly supported night restrictions were more likely to be fathers of daughters (p=.0193), parents with teens in the learner phase (p<.0001), and parents reporting higher incomes (p=.0214). Parents who strongly supported passenger restrictions were more likely to have teens in the learner phase (p<.0001), live in metro areas (p=.0064), and report higher incomes (p=.0075). Conclusions. These findings could help to create parent-directed resources and messages that are appropriate and effective at reaching those parents opposed to or not convinced about the GDL restrictions.