This past January North Dakota became the last state in the union to require a form of graduated driver’s license program for first time drivers. These programs are designed to help new drivers gradually acclimate to life behind the wheel. They often involve limits in when they can drive and who they can drive with; extended driver safety education and practice behind the wheel.

Graduated driver license programs are credited with reducing the number of young drivers involved in deadly crashes. Vehicle collisions remain the number one cause of death for teenagers in the United States, according to the National Institutes of Health and safety advocates say these programs are needed to save teen lives and the lives of those who share the road with them.

These graduated driver licensing programs are now the law of the land, much to the dismay of teen drivers. They do provide a level of security for their parents, however, many of whom worry that their teen driver will be involved in a serious crash, whether through their own fault or because of their inability to react appropriately when faced with a crisis behind the wheel.