Proposed Bill Text

Informational Brochure

Members of House Transportation Committee:

Dan Ruby - Chairman (HB1256 sponsor)

Dave Weiler - Vice Chairman

Lois Delmore

Robert Frantsvog

Edmund Gruchalla (HB1256 sponsor)

Brenda Heller

Kathy Hogan

RaeAnn G. Kelsch

Scott Louser

Kenton Onstad

Mark S. Owens

Gary R. Sukut

Don Vigesaa

Robin Weisz

Background information:

 Under the GDL proposal, the earliest a teen could obtain a license to drive unsupervised would be 15.  Any teen wanting to be licensed at age 15 or older would not have their licensing age affected under the proposal…they would just need to start the process early enough to complete the permit phase in time. The end result is they gain critical supervised driving experience over an extended period of time.

 As for 14 year olds with a driver’s license, data provided by DOT as well as census data shows:

 Only 8.4% of 14-year-old teens statewide have a driver’s license.  In the 48 most rural counties, only 9.4% of 14 year olds have a license.

As of Jan. 4, there are 15,762 licensed teens in ND between the ages of 14-17.  Of those, only 665 (4.2%) are age 14.

In the 48 most rural counties there are 7,535 licensed teens between the ages of 14-17.  Of those, only 345 (4.6%) are age 14.

It isn’t until age 16 do we see a majority of ND teens having a license.  At that age 65% of teens statewide have a license (63% in the 48 rural counties).

It should also be remembered that according to the recent survey of parents of 15 and 16 year old teens in North Dakota:

86% of parents believe a teen should be at least 16 in order to drive without restrictions; almost half (48%) believe that unrestricted driving should not be allowed until age 17 or older. The survey found no meaningful difference in opinion between rural and urban parents.

 The reason GDL is effective is it emphasizes experience and limits well-known risks within a framework that has minimal impact on the licensing age of teens.  Parents support GDL because it provides them what they want — a system that helps them guide (protect) their teens during the most dangerous period of their lives.