Researchers at The Children's
Hospital of Philadelphia's Center for Injury Research and Prevention are
optimistic that there are effective ways to reduce crash and injury risk
for young novice drivers. Today, they released the results of a
nine-month-long scientific review by an international interdisciplinary
Expert Panel to characterize the epidemic of teen-driver-related crash and
injury risk and set the agenda for action. Recommendations are detailed in
a special supplement called "The Science of Safe Driving Among Adolescents"
in this month's issue of Injury Prevention.
"If we continue with our current policies and programs, more than
100,000 U.S. youth and young adults will die in crashes over the next 10
years," says Dr. Flaura K. Winston, M.D., Ph.D., co-scientific director and
founder of the Center for Injury Research and Prevention at Children's
Hospital. "Recent research points to an optimistic future if we apply these
findings to programs, policy, and technology that guide learner drivers to
safe independent driving."
The Expert Panel, sponsored by Children's Hospital and State Farm
Insurance Companies(R), drew on the latest developments internationally and
includes experts from the U.S., Sweden and Great Britain in education,
training, licensing, adolescent development and diversity, cognitive and
experimental psychology, epidemiology, engineering and technology, social
marketing, public health and legislative policy.
Traffic crashes occur disproportionately among newly driving teens and
young adults, with one in four crash fatalities in the U.S. involving 16 to
24 year olds. The first six months of licensure are the most dangerous for
any driver and the crash risk remains twice as high as that for adult
drivers until age 25.
Expert Panel members highlighted the latest research which shows the
most promise for improving safety for teen drivers, such as increased seat
belt use, hazard perception skills training, minimizing distractions and
time with eyes off the road, and addressing drowsy driving.
When you look at the whole picture -- adolescence, driving and
adolescent driving -- four key areas for action emerge: 1/ strong public
policy for graduated drivers licensing (GDL) in all states; 2/ training to
optimize the two-second sequence just prior to a crash with improved hazard
detection and response skills among novice drivers; 3/ tools to enhance the
teen-parent relationship which heavily influences teen behavior; and 4/
incorporation of the teen perspective before intervention development to
ensure future efforts will "make sense" to teens.
The Expert Panel concluded that GDL laws should be the foundation for
comprehensive interventions. GDL laws have been proven effective at
reducing crashes, fatalities and serious injuries across multiple studies.
Currently, 44 states and the District of Columbia have some form of a GDL
system but the systems vary among states and none are considered optimal.
"GDL has been successful because it removes the novice driver from
high- risk scenarios until they are better able to manage them," says Dr.
Teresa Senserrick, Ph.D., a developmental psychologist at the Children's
Hospital's injury research center who specializes in teens and driving.
"With GDL in place, communities then need to enhance understanding and
compliance with GDL as well as to develop a novice driver's skills in
higher risk situations."
Utilizing previous research, panel members have pinpointed the
two-second sequence just prior to a crash as an opportunity to help teens
avoid or minimize the severity of a crash. "Two seconds is the minimum time
needed to successfully avoid or lessen the severity of a collision once a
hazard is detected," says Dr. Senserrick. "Earlier detection and more
efficient decision-processing after detection can allow for successful
crash avoidance."
Novice drivers often detect a hazard later than experienced drivers
because their search skills are underdeveloped. This detection lag is
compounded by their inexperience to manage the detected hazard to avoid the
crash. Add in a distraction, like passengers or a cell phone, and even more
time is lost. These lost fractions of a second can make all the difference
between a severe crash and a minor crash or near crash.
The research team at the Children's Hospital and Expert Panel members
see optimism in comprehensive approaches that draw on a recent scientific
explosion in the understanding of both adolescent development and the risk
and skills associated with driving, coupled with advances in vehicle
technologies that can specifically reduce teen driver risks.
"The challenge before us," says Laurette Stiles, Vice President
Strategic Resources at State Farm, "is to guide youth from passengers,
dependent on parents and friends for rides, to independent drivers who make
safe decisions, manage their passengers, and avoid hazards. The time is now
to effectively guide this transition without losing thousands of our youth
every year."
Parents and teens can learn more about the latest research and
recommendations on safe driving for teens at chop.edu/injury.
About The Center for Injury Research and Prevention at The Children's
Hospital of Philadelphia
The Center for Injury Research and Prevention at The Children's
Hospital of Philadelphia, formerly known as TraumaLink, is a comprehensive
pediatric injury research center based at The Children's Hospital of
Philadelphia and the University of Pennsylvania. The center consists of a
multidisciplinary team of experts who conduct and disseminate research on
the causes of childhood, adolescent, and young adult injury and develop and
evaluate interventions to prevent injury and its psychological effects. For
more information on the Center, chop.edu/injury.
The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia was founded in 1855 as the
nation's first pediatric hospital. Through its long-standing commitment to
providing exceptional patient care, training new generations of pediatric
healthcare professionals and pioneering major research initiatives,
Children's Hospital has fostered many discoveries that have benefited
children worldwide. Its pediatric research program is among the largest in
the country, ranking second in National Institutes of Health funding. In
addition, its unique family-centered care and public service programs have
brought the 430-bed hospital recognition as a leading advocate for children
and adolescents. For more information, visit chop.edu.
About State Farm(R)
State Farm(R) insures more cars than any other insurer in North America
and is the leading U.S. home insurer. State Farm's 17,000 agents and 76,000
employees serve nearly 73 million auto, fire, life and health policies in
the United States and Canada. State Farm also offers financial services
products. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company is the parent of
the State Farm family of companies. State Farm is ranked No. 18 on the
Fortune 500 list of largest companies. For more information, please visit
statefarm or in Canada statefarm.
The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
chop.edu