LI Course
CE Hours: 6 contact hours

Partnership: ATOD, ICEHS, Center for Learning and Global Public Health

Statement of Purpose and Institute Overview: The purpose of the Public Health Traffic Safety Institute is to provide a forum for multidisciplinary discourse, learning, and skill building (as it relates to program planning) amongst professionals in the fields of public health and traffic safety. This Institute will allow participants to hone and develop their leadership skills in order to effectively address and prevent automobile crashes. Ultimately this initiative will help participants play a major role in strengthening linkages between public health and traffic safety disciplines. Traffic safety topics are many and range from impaired driving to addressing concerns with elderly drivers. However this institute will tackle issues surrounding the teen driver (15-20 yrs), more specifically teen access to alcohol, seatbelt use and Graduated Drivers License Laws (GDL) effectiveness. The scientific evidence from these aforementioned topics will be used as background to frame the institute’s content. In return, this information will be incorporated into skill building exercises to assist participants in developing effective evidence- based programs to address teen driver safety. People are injured and lives are lost on a daily basis on our roads and highways. Research has shown that teen drivers have the highest crash risk of any age group. Furthermore, per mile traveled, they have the highest involvement rates in crashes, from crashes involving property damage -to those that are fatal (NHTSA, 2006). According to NHTSA, in 2004, - 3,620 drivers age 15 to 20 were killed, and an additional 303,000 injured, in motor vehicle crashes.

Session Objectives: Given these alarming statistics it’s easy to recognize that traffic related injuries/fatalities are a major public health concern, which requires intensive efforts for successful and longstanding prevention. Reducing the number of teen-related fatalities will greatly depend on introducing effective evidenced-based intervention strategies that address the specific needs of teen drivers, as this institute will do. Approaches to addressing this problem need to employ public health prevention efforts as related to traffic safety. It is an ideal element because reckless driving poses not only a public health concern, but also this institute presents an opportunity to educate professionals as well as prompt development of intervention strategies. Some research points out that young people in the United States are at greatest risk of dying or being injured in an automobile than their peers around the world, in part because they are licensed to drive earlier and with less experience (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, 2006). Addressing these shortcomings must take place in the “early driving years” then the intervention is geared toward meeting the problem where it stands addressing specific concerns within this population. It also works towards strengthening teen driver safety mechanisms ultimately making the roads a safer place for all. The first year of this institute built awareness and interest in traffic safety and this year will continue in that trend and also equip participants with the knowledge and skill to help prevent teen related automobile crashes. The institute presents a unique opportunity for participants as it presents a forum to interact with a panel of teen drivers. At that time an immense sharing of knowledge will occur and present opportunities for teachable moments. The Institute recognizes if teens are the primary focus then it is imperative to include them in the discussion regarding program planning, etc. There is both a need and opportunity for leadership in this juncture between public health and traffic safety. Both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization have declared teen traffic safety a critical public health concern. For this reason the institute will use this opportunity to train attendees to effectively address this major concern. Fortunately automobile crashes are largely preventable, through common public health approaches such as community education and other robust intervention efforts, which highlight the need for this institute in prevention efforts. In return this information and these skills will be implemented in various community settings, increasing awareness, and working towards the prevention of these unintentional injuries and fatalities. APHA working with NHTSA is prepared to address this overall concern and this institute will help to move this work forward, meanwhile increasing the capacity of the public health infrastructure. Upon completion of this Institute participants will be able to: 1. Apply PHTSI skill set to develop comprehensive programs addressing teen driver safety 2. Develop a comprehensive understanding of the intersection of public health, traffic safety and injury prevention 3. Generate social cohesion and interdisciplinary dialogue in traffic safety- related areas 4. Document positive changes and achievements in the elimination of unintentional injuries 5. Employ evidence based approaches to teen traffic safety 6. Recognize the strengths and limitations of existing teen traffic safety programs and efforts

CE Credits: CME, Health Education (CHES), Nursing