This report examines the magnitude and characteristics of the problem of young people in road crashes. Young people are defined as teens aged 15 to 19 and young adults aged 20 to 24. The problem is examined from both public health and road safety perspectives. The public health perspective asks how important road crashes are as a cause of death and injury to young people. An examination of the leading causes of death and injury among young and older age groups, as well as population agebased data (e.g., per capita death and injury rates) are used to determine the magnitude of the problem. The road safety perspective examines the extent to which young people contribute to the total road toll (e.g., what percentage of all road deaths or injuries is accounted for by young people?). Their involvement as drivers and other road users is examined using various national motor vehicle collision and other databases. The report also examines the specific problem of young drivers since they constitute a major part of the problem – the majority of young passengers are killed or injured in collisions involving young drivers. The final section of the report examines trends in the problem of young people and road crashes to determine if there have been changes in the extent of the problem over the past several decades. (Author/publisher)
Samenvatting