Comparison of self-reported driving behaviors and experiences of immediate-uptake and delayed-uptake license holders

The experiences of immediate-uptake driver's license holders (intermediate licensure at age 17 or 18 years; n = 928) and delayed-uptake driver's license holders (intermediate licensure at age 19 to 20 years, n = 158) were explored in the Australian state of Queensland, where the graduated driver licensing (GDL) program applies to all novice drivers regardless of age. Drivers who obtained a Provisional 1 (P1; intermediate) license completed surveys exploring their experiences prelicensing and as learners, including the Behavior of Young Novice Drivers Scale (BYNDS) evaluation. Six months later, 351 drivers from this sample (n = 300 immediate-uptake driver's license holders) completed a survey exploring their experiences while driving with a P1 license. Delayed-uptake learners reported significantly more difficulty gaining driving practice, which appeared to be associated with significantly greater engagement in unsupervised driving during the learner period. Although a larger proportion of delayed-uptake novices, particularly males, reported the use of more active punishment avoidance strategies (avoiding police, talking themselves out of a ticket) during the P1 license phase, no significant differences in the BYNDS scores during the learner and P1 license phases were found by license uptake category. Delayed-uptake novices reported more difficulty in meeting GDL requirements and placed themselves at increased risk by driving unsupervised during the learner license phase. Additional efforts, such as mentoring programs, that can support delayed-uptake learners in meeting their GDL obligations merit further consideration to allow this group of novice drivers to gain the full benefits of the GDL program and to reduce their risk of harm in the short term