Georgia, like most other states, has a graduated driver's license ("GDL") program for novice teen drivers, the obvious goal being to turn them into safe and conscientious motorists as they begin putting miles on state roadways.

The impetus for that program across the country is the wealth of statistics showing that teen drivers are involved to a disproportionately high degree in speeding incidents, reckless driving, failure to yield and other traffic offenses. Progressive education coupled with a gradual lessening of restrictions has uniformly been deemed by safety authorities as the optimal response to those behaviors and the most logical antidote to curb their development.

A question has been recently posed, though, that seems almost sacrilegious in its asking, namely, this: Do GDL programs actually work? That is, do they truly achieve the results they tout?

The authors of at least one study -- published recently in the Journal of the American Medical Association -- contend that the perceived benefits of GDL programs may be a bit overhyped. In a nationwide analysis of crash data, researchers found that the proven decrease in fatal accidents among 16- and 17-year-old drivers enrolled in GDL programs was matched by a similar increase in such accidents among 18-and 19-year-old drivers.

Given that the latter group is ostensibly better trained and more experienced, the data puzzles those who have closely studied it. They are especially intrigued by the fact that the highest accident rates among the older group occur in states with the most stringent licensing programs.

One possible explanation for that outcome, say some study observers, is that teens in those states might simply be waiting until they are 18 to apply for a license, since that allows them to bypass GDL requirements and restrictions.

GDL programs "look bright and shiny" when just considering the accident rate among the youngest drivers, says a California traffic safety official, but he adds that there may be some negative consequences associated with graduated licensing programs.

"Instead of just looking at the targeted group, we need to ask what is going on with all teens," he says.

Related Resource: Los Angeles Times, "Teen driver restrictions a mixed bag" Sept. 13, 2011