BC announces change to graduated licensing program

British Columbia has announced a change to its graduated licensing program (GLP) that would eliminate the three-month time reduction in the learner stage currently afforded to those who complete an approved course through a designated driver training school.After March 31, 2007, any new driver who starts and completes an approved course will no longer be eligible for the reduction, says an Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC) news release.Instead, new drivers will be eligible for a six-month reduction in the GLP novice stage if they successfully complete a GLP course through an approved driver training school and stay violation and at-fault crash free for the first 18 months. “Research shows that novice drivers are at the greatest risk of crashing at the start of the novice stage when they are no longer required to be accompanied by an adult while driving,” Nettie Wagner, ICBC vice president of driver services, said in a statement.In its first 3 years, GLP reduced the new driver crash rate by 16%, but in 2005, new drivers were still 23% more likely to be involved in crashes than experienced drivers, information from the ICBC says.