Beginning July 1998, all teens under age 18 are subject to a new system to obtain a driver permit and license in California. It's called graduated driver licensing, and dramatically changes the way teenagers begin to drive. Graduated driver licensing eases beginning drivers into traffic by limiting their exposure to driving situations proven to be particularly dangerous. Teens begin driving with certain conditions, which are gradually relaxed as drivers mature and develop greater driving skills.
Traffic crashes are the leading cause of death among teens in the United States.
In California alone, nearly 18,000 teen drivers are injured or killed every year. Too many teen crashes. While teens 15 to 19 years old make up only four percent of licensed drivers in the state, they're the drivers in nine percent of fatal car crashes, and 10 percent of injury crashes. Too many teen late night crashes. Too many teen passengers at risk.