MOBILITY NEEDS OF NOVICE DRIVERS

Currently there is a lack of research in the area of novice driver mobility needs. To understand mobility needs, it would be helpful to survey novice drivers as well as teenagers just under the legal licensing age to find out which activities generate travel needs and, more specifically, travel needs that can only be met by driving an automobile. At the present time we do not know how many young novice drivers really need to drive. In some cases their employment is contingent upon possession of a driver's license. In other cases, it is geographical location (e.g., rural and suburban areas) that compels individuals to drive. Mobility needs are never static, they are continually evolving. Research on mobility needs must, therefore, be conducted over time to identify emerging trends. Attention must also be paid to the problems parents encounter when they provide for the transportation needs of their teenage children. Mobility needs research should help us to better understand when full driving privileges are required. Jurisdictions with graduated licensing programs have not encountered much opposition from young people, which may be an indication that the demand for full licensure at the age of 15 or 16 is largely an artifact of current practice. It is also important for policy makers to understand that in the case of teenagers, acquiring a driver's license serves as an important rite of passage. The symbolic value of the license is often as important to teenagers as the need to get from point A to point B. Another issue to be considered is meeting mobility needs without unduly compromising safety. Finally, it is imperative that any research program on mobility needs also consider the older novice driver. They have very different mobility needs.