Teens and crashes - the combination is heartbreakingly familiar. Although young drivers ages 15-20 make up only 6 percent (12.6 million) of total drivers, they comprise 9 percent of drivers involved in fatal crashes and 13 percent of drivers in all crashes. In fact, crashes are the leading cause of death for this age group. The loss of a young life or an imagined future due to serious injury from a traffic crash is a too-frequent tragedy. But there is some good news. Despite the fact there are slightly more young people ages 15-20 years old who can legally drive than there were in 2002, driver fatalities in this age group have declined 49 percent between 2003 and 2012. Many positive developments in the area of teen drivers and traffic safety have contributed to this: improved Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) programs, safer motor vehicles, and better medical response to crash events. These are all reasons to celebrate. However, there is still some very surprising news: most young drivers killed in these crashes do not avail themselves of the most basic safety protection their vehicles provide — the seat belt. Not only did more than half (51.2 percent) of drivers ages 16-19 involved in fatal crashes in 2012 fail to use a seat belt, that number has increased by 6 percent over the last three years — when the same statistic for drivers over age 20 increased less than 1 percent (a 0.8 percent increase). All at a time when our nation’s seat belt use overall has been steadily, albeit slowly, growing. That’s a definite cause for concern. How can teens be convinced that using a seat belt may save their life? And that using a seat belt is critical to every trip? The risks to teens on the road are very real. In 2012, 1,875 drivers 15-20 years of age were killed and another 184,000 were injured in motor vehicle crashes; and young drivers ages 16-20 have among the highest rates of unrestrained drivers in fatal crashes. The research is abundantly clear: seat belts, when used, reduce the risk of fatal injury to front-seat passenger car occupants by 45 percent and light-truck occupants by 60 percent. Regardless of the type or reason for the crash, seat belts save lives and prevent injuries — and teens need to get that message. But we also know that changing behaviour is challenging at any age. During the teen years, continuous developments in physical, intellectual and emotional maturation make reaching this audience an even more challenging goal. Experts agree that there is no single strategy that will produce a completely safe teen driver. A combination of diverse but complimentary strategies involving policy, peer-to-peer and parental connections, laws and their enforcement, peer-to-peer and parental connections, community and culturally appropriate education is required to reinforce positive teen driving behaviours. However, the issue remains: What can be done to ensure that all teens recognize and act on the benefits that come with using a seat belt? That is the question the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA), with support from The Allstate Foundation, set out to discover in early 2014. GHSA works with State Highway Safety Offices across the nation to improve traffic safety, influence national policy, enhance program management and promote best practices. The Allstate Foundation brings the relationships, reputation and resources of Allstate to support innovative and lasting solutions that enhance people’s well-being and prosperity; helping Americans realize their hopes and dreams by connecting people through innovative programs that drive social change. Through this collaboration, GHSA and The Allstate Foundation sought to learn what states are doing to encourage teen seat belt use as the central goal of this project. By identifying promising practices, the programs detailed in this report can serve as examples and road maps to other states and stakeholders concerned about keeping young drivers safe on our roads. Opportunities for improving the response to insufficient teen seat belt use are also identified, as well as recommendations for states to consider as they mobilize resources and programs to address this critical issue. (Author/publisher)
Samenvatting