Legislative Findings and Intent

(a)I Liheslaturan Guåhan finds momentum continues to build for the adoption of graduated driver licensing systems. Recent releases from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the National Transportation Safety Board

(NTSB)clearly indicate that their programs will emphasize graduated licensing as a measure to improve traffic safety for new drivers and drivers who are under the age of twenty-one (21). CH. 3 GENERAL PROVISIONS

(b)The NHTSA encourages states to implement a graduated driver licensing system to ease young drivers and new drivers into the driving environment through more controlled exposure to progressively more difficult driving experiences or driver licensing stages, prior to full licensure.

(c)Authorities attribute the problems of new drivers, especially younger drivers, to inexperience and inadequate driving skills, excessive driving during high risk hours - especially nighttime, risk-taking, poor judgment and poor decision making. It also is believed that considerable experience is required, after initial licensing, before a new driver achieves dependable driving know-how, skill and judgment.

(d)To address these problems, NHTSA and the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators developed an entry-level driver licensing system. It consists of three

(3)distinct stages, named by the type of license possessed at each stage: learner’s permit, intermediate (provisional) license, and full license. Young drivers are required to demonstrate responsible driving behavior in each stage of licensing before advancing to the next. This legislation is modeled after those recommendations.

(e)In recent years graduated and provisional licensing laws have been enacted in several States and the trend is continuing. Several other States have introduced legislation to implement graduated licensing requirements. To be effective, graduated licensing must be coordinated with driver education. Graduated licensing, in combination with improved driver education, holds promise as a way to provide positive incentives for new drivers to drive safely.

(f)It is the intent of I Liheslaturan Guåhan to implement Graduated Driver Licensing for Guam for all new licensees obtaining a driver’s license after June 30, 2000. In doing so I Liheslaturan Guåhan affirms that a driver’s license is a privilege, not a right and such privilege, for the safety of all who use our roadways should only be extended through demonstrated driving experience.