141st APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition

Home Events & Meetings Annual Meeting Schedule & Program

Recorded Annual Meeting Presentations (RAMP) are now available for purchase.
Only $90 for presenters, $140 for registered attendees and $200 for non-attendees.

Online Program

287588
Effect of Georgia's graduated licensing law on youth's risky driving behaviors


Sunday, November 3, 2013

Nancy Thompson, PhD, MPH, Department of Behavioral Sciences & Health Education, Rollins School of Public Health of Emory University, Atlanta, GA
Robin E. McGee, MPH, Department of Behavioral Sciences & Health Education, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA
Jia Feng, MSPH, Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA
Archna Patel, MPH, CHES, Department of Behavioral Sciences & Health Education, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA
Jennifer Olsen, MPH, Department of Behavioral Sciences & Health Education, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA
Background: Georgia's 1997 graduated drivers' licensing law, the “Teenage and Adult Driver Responsibility Act” (TADRA), was designed to target young drivers' inexperience, driving under the influence of alcohol, and excessive speeding. After 12 months of instructional permit driving, youth receive an intermediate license allowing driving only between the hours of 6:00 am and 11:59 pm and limiting passengers under age 21.

Purpose: To investigate the impact of TADRA on driving after drinking or riding with a drinking driver.

Methods: Participants were youth from southeastern states who completed CDC's Youth Risk Behavior Surveys between 1991 and 2011. Questions about driving after drinking and riding with a drinking driver were assessed. Weighted percentages for the two items were determined by year and state for all years with sufficient data to be representative of the state. States assessed included Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, Tennessee, and all states combined.

Results: In Georgia, rates of riding with a drinking driver decreased from 37% before TADRA to 24% after TADRA. Rates of driving when drinking decreased from 16% before TADRA to 10% after TADRA. In 2011, 25% rode with a drinking driver and 8% drove while drinking. Although Georgia started with lower rates, the percent declines in Georgia's drinking-related driving behavior rates were similar to or greater than those of the other southeastern states.

Conclusions: Georgia's TADRA law appears to be effective in reducing drinking-related driving behavior among youth. Future studies should investigate characteristics of those who continue to engage in this behavior.

Learning Areas:

Public health or related laws, regulations, standards, or guidelines
Public health or related public policy
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
Evaluate the impact of Georgia’s graduated licensing law upon the behaviors of youth in Georgia. Compare the alcohol-related driving behaviors of youth in Georgia to those of youth in other southern states.

Keyword(s): Adolescents, Motor Vehicles

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have a background in Behavioral Sciences and Health Education from the Rollins School of Public Health of Emory University. I am currently completing my doctoral degree in this program. I have been involved in the evaluation of Georgia's Teenage and Adult Driver Responsibility Act for the past year.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Back to: 2032.0: Transportation safety