Young drivers are substantially over-represented in traffic crashes. In the U.S. in 2004, drivers aged 16 to 20 were only 6.3% of the licensed drivers but accounted for 13.3% of the drivers in fatal crashes and 17.9% of the drivers in all crashes. The deadly consequences are that traffic crashes cause 39% of the deaths of adolescents aged 16 –20. Traffic safety experts have been aware of these facts for some time and have developed and implemented strategies that attempt to improve the safety of beginning young drivers. The strategies use two of the traditional traffic safety “three Es”— education and enforcement—in ways that apply specifically to beginning young drivers. (The third E, engineering, has produced safer roads and vehicles, which have improved safety for everyone.) Driver education came first, and although it may have successfully taught some driving skills, it did not produce safer drivers. Enacting and enforcing laws that affect only young drivers came next: a national minimum drinking age of 21, followed by zero tolerance laws in each state that revoke or suspend the license of a driver under 21 who has been drinking. These two laws are the major reason why the number of fatal crashes involving alcohol-involved drivers under the age of 21 dropped 62% from 1982 to 2004. This observation prompted the IOM’s Board on Children, Youth, and Families and the Transportation Research Board to sponsor a workshop—Preventing Teen Motor Crashes: Contributions from the Behavioral and Social Sciences—in May 2006. The workshop brought together experts in traffic safety and in adolescent physical, mental, psychological, and social development to share information. Specifically, the workshop sought to understand: * What does behavioral science tell us about teen driver risk and protective factors? * What are the implications of the behavioral sciences for prevention, program, and policy interventions to improve young drivers’ safety? * What research and interventions are most likely to improve young drivers’ safety over the short and long run? The workshop’s agenda, attendees, and a brief summary are available from the Transportation Research Board. This supplement to the American Journal of Preventive Medicine expands the workshop summary by allowing several of the workshop speakers to present their thoughts in greater detail. As in the workshop itself, the articles concentrate on presenting knowledge and insights on adolescent development issues that may affect young drivers and on suggesting how interventions can best take advantage of these insights and knowledge. (Author/publisher)
Samenvatting