2003 DEC 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Teenage drivers might get into fewer auto accidents if they had improved driver's training, were required to complete an additional step before becoming fully licensed, and were closely supervised by parents as they learned to drive, say researchers from the U.S. National Institutes of Health.
'Programs aimed at reducing teen crash rates [should] focus on increasing skills and minimizing driving exposure for young drivers, especially in the most risky conditions,' said Bruce G. Simons-Morton, EdD, MPH, and Jessica L. Hartos, PhD, of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development in Bethesda, Maryland.
Their review of recent research appears in the American Journal of Health Education.
'Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of injury and death among adolescents 16-19 years of age,' the researchers said. They listed at least a half a dozen reasons for this high rate of accidents and the damage they cause: immaturity and inexperience, driving at night, teenage passengers, alcohol, high-speed driving and not using seat belts.
'Crashes are more prevalent among young, inexperienced drivers compared to older, more experienced ones,' Simons-Morton and Hartos explained. 'Also, compared to adults, adolescents actually drive less overall but they drive disproportionately more at night, increasing the likelihood of both getting into an accident and the severity of the crash.'
The presence of other teens in the car may distract young drivers, they said. Most accidents among young drivers are due to driver error, but alcohol is involved in 21% of fatal crashes among drivers aged 15-20. Teenagers are also less likely to use safety belts than older drivers.
Simons-Morton and Hartos examined three approaches to reducing the motor vehicle crash risk among young drivers. They found that driver education seems to have little effect on safety, due to the limited experience it provides.
'While minimal proficiency in vehicle control is essential, it is not entirely sufficient to assure safe driving,' they said. 'Important skills involving perception, anticipation and avoidance of risk develop gradually over time and many miles of driving. The first 6 months and 3000 miles of driving appear to be particularly risky for newly licensed drivers.'
Driver education might boost safety if it were changed to lengthen the period of practice driving, increase parental involvement, and tie into graduated licensing policies. Advanced-level driver education courses, for instance, might be linked to expanded driving privileges.
Graduated driver licensing is a second area that offers hope for improvement, the researchers said. Traditional driver licensing happened in two stages: the learner's permit, followed by full licensing at age 16. Graduated driver licensing adds a third step between the two. A teenaged driver must hold the learner's permit for at least several months, with adult-supervised driving. Then teens are granted a provisional license which allows them to drive unsupervised, but with some restrictions - during the daytime only and with passenger limits, for example. Full licensing occurs at age 18, after a violation-free provisional period.
At present, 35 states and the District of Columbia use the three-stage licensing standard, although the systems vary in strength, said the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety. Only eight get the institute's highest rating: California, the District of Columbia, Georgia, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Oregon, Tennessee, Virginia and Washington.
Finally, parents can also play a greater role in molding their teenagers into safer drivers, Simons-Morton said.
'Parents are involved in their teenagers' driving from the beginning, teaching them to drive, governing their access to vehicles and setting rules,' he said. 'However, an alarming number of teens report not having driving rules or restrictions for high-risk driving conditions, including driving at night and with teenage passengers.'
Simple strategies, including videotapes, newsletters for parents and parent-teen driving agreements, can effectively inform both parents and children of the risks of teenage driving and increase the adoption of restrictions during the first year of driving.
More important, said the authors, is the need to put these approaches together.
'Efforts to increase parental management could be integrated into driver education and licensing activities to increase parental supervision of practice driving and parental management practices, including the timing of teen licensure, vehicle availability and driving conditions,' they concluded.
This article was prepared by Biotech Week editors from staff and other reports.
