Driver's licence can mean freedom for teens, but it comes at a cost
By April Robinson
The Brantford Expositor
March 14, 2008

Jeff Thompson couldn't wait to drive. So at 8 a.m. on the morning of his 16th birthday, he lined up to get his G1 driver's licence, the first stage in Ontario's graduated licensing system.

After having some time to practise behind the wheel with his mom and dad - and partway through a driver's ed course - Thompson of Drumbo, Ont., south of Kitchener, was pretty confident he would pass his G2 test this month.

Then the real freedom will come.

"I'm just looking forward to going anywhere without needing a ride," he said. "You can go on a date without feeling awkward."

The road to getting a driver's licence can be bumpy for many teens, but the ability to get behind the wheel is a true milestone. It means greater mobility, independence and, for some, a chance to prove their maturity.

It's also the most dangerous activity they can undertake.

Recent studies show traffic crashes continue to be the No. 1 cause of death of young people. For boys who live in rural areas, like Jeff, the risks are especially high.

They're more likely to speed, drive older cars and not wear seatbelts, according to a recent study by a University of Waterloo professor.

Risks - and costs - also increase when teens have their own vehicles.

Thompson has his eye on a 1996 Chevrolet Monte Carlo.

He might buy it from his uncle - if he can save up enough money from his part-time job.
 As much as Thompson's parents trust him, seeing their only child put his foot on the accelerator has launched a whole new set of anxieties.

"The hardest thing is relinquishing control," said his dad, Jared Thompson.

"It's getting in the car and knowing you're creating a potentially dangerous situation. And if things do go bad, there's very little you can do."

Thompson will pay much more for insurance than girls his age - especially if he buys that Monte Carlo - even with the discount for taking driver's ed factored in.

For a young girl in the city, a different set of risks come into play.

Laura Purchase, an 18-year-old Waterloo resident, failed her driver's ed test the first time because she didn't yield to a city bus.

It's not that she's a bad driver; there's just a lot more going on in the city.

There are also more distractions.

City kids are more likely to drive while talking on a cellphone, while stressed, with other passengers in the car and with loud music, the study said.

Purchase, who got her G2 last August and usually drives her parents' Dodge Caravan to work with her younger sister, said text messaging and IPods are probably the biggest distractions for her friends while driving.

"You can't even be looking at the road, really," she said.

If drivers are too distracted, they can be charged with careless driving, which carries a penalty of six demerit points and a $365 fine, said Sgt. Fred Gregory, a traffic officer with Waterloo regional police.

However, he said, charging people for texting while driving is not something he's come across.

Meanwhile, there is a false perception in the driving world that some drugs, such as marijuana, are less intoxicating than alcohol, said Jean Andrey, lead researcher of the University of Waterloo study on teen driving.

There's a corresponding perception that drivers using marijuana are less likely to get caught.

In her 2001 study of 100 Waterloo Region teens, Andrey found that only a handful took on risky habits.

But it doesn't take much to cause an accident.

"It's clear that the spontaneity and the higher risk-taking propensities in youth (do) show up in driving," said Andrey, a geography professor.

"Those behaviours are risky for all of us, but for inexperienced drivers, they're most problematic."

She has seen a major shift in the last decade. "I think we see a more cautious new driver than in the past."

Since 1990, there has been a 43 per cent decrease in casualties in the 16- to 19-year-old grouping of drivers, according to the Ontario Ministry of Transportation.

Andrey gives a lot of credit to the graduated licensing system the provincial government introduced in 1994.

As soon as a person turns 16, they can write a test to get their G1, which enables them to drive with another experienced driver under several restrictions.

After a year - eight months with driver's ed - a driver can take a G2 road test.

A pass means the driver can drive solo. But there are still restrictions.

Zero blood-alcohol, for one.

Drivers under 19 can only have one other teen passenger after midnight. At other times, they can't have more than three other teens in the vehicle.

Andrey said the system forces people to get experience before they drive on their own.
For youths with their G1, driver's ed is the fast pass - albeit an expensive one - to getting their G2.

A typical driver's education course, with 10 hours of in-car instruction and 25 hours of class time, costs anywhere from $500 to $1,000.

Add insurance, gas and a $125 licence fee for the G1 test, and the entry into driving becomes a pricey proposition.

Thompson said a lot of his friends can't afford to get their licences right now.

Still, more than 100,000 students graduate from ministry-approved schools each year.
And although driving is the most likely cause of death for teens, many just see it as a quick ticket to freedom.

"It's more so they can get their licence faster and get cheaper insurance," said Purchase.

Many parents treat driver's education as if it's just another element of the household routine, like taking music lessons or signing up for sports, said Carmel McDougall, owner of Training Wheels driving school in nearby Cambridge, Ont.

"But this is much more important," she said.

"I tell my students, 'It's not recreation. It's the rest of your life.'"

With a recent auditor's report showing motorists who take driving training get into more crashes, some parents may be wondering if driver's ed is worth the cost.

The report also showed some driving schools appeared to be illegally selling graduation certificates. Hundreds of instructors were collecting demerit points for their own faulty driving habits.

McDougall said driver's education is worth the cost to at least learn defensive driving skills.

But driving classes only work with parents' support, she added.

"It takes some help, understanding and some education."

She said she understands the frustrations that can arise between teen and parent, and suggests teens stand in their parents' shoes.

"You have to look at their fears and anxieties," she said.

For Denise Purchase, Laura's mom, having her oldest child on the road has taken some getting used to.

"The hardest part was just at the beginning," she said.

"Just getting comfortable with having her out on busy streets. I'm always relieved to have her pull in the driveway."

Laura said she understands her mom's worries, and tries to communicate openly.

"As long as they know where I'm going, and when I'll be back."

And although Jared Thompson faces high insurance rates to have his son on the road, Jeff will foot the bill.

"I told him I'd pay for his driving training, but I'm not going to pay for a car or insurance," Jared said.

"If he wants the privilege of driving, he'll have to pay for it himself."

It won't be cheap.

 

Robert Tremblay, director of road safety for the Insurance Board of Canada, said the high rates for young people simply relate to the risks they take. Teens represent 12 per cent of the population, but they're responsible for 26 per cent of injury collisions, he said.

"It's not because we have anything against young people."

It's just that they're the most dangerous, he said.

If insurance rates weren't so high, "it would be the rest of the driving public subsidizing them."

Teens can look forward to the age of 25, when statistics show their risk decreases.

Every year, their insurance rates should go down, if they keep a clear record - no collisions and no tickets.

Tremblay recommends teens get driving experience on their parents' car before getting their own. It builds a positive insurance record. If they buy their own car later, insurance will be less.

While traffic crashes involving young drivers are decreasing, the age group still gets in more accidents than others.

And while there seems to be more awareness about the dangers of impaired driving, trends haven't changed in eight years, said Margaret Miller, president of Mothers Against Drunk Driving Canada. "It's sad to say sometimes it takes somebody's death to make an impact."

According to the organization, two of every five teens killed on the road have been drinking; 87 per cent of those are male.

In nearly two-thirds of alcohol-involved, multiple-vehicle crashes, a fatally injured teen was at fault.

The Purchases have a zero-tolerance rule, and it's something Laura respects.

"Not even one - or half of one. There's no second chance on that," Denise said.

Jeff said his parents are open about drinking, so he doesn't worry about them getting angry.

"They tell me if I'm in that situation, I can just call them and they'll pick me up - no matter what."