142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition

Annual Meeting Recordings are now available for purchase

304569
Teenage driver involvement in injury motor vehicle crashes by strength of graduated driver licensing law

142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition (November 15 - November 19, 2014): http://www.apha.org/events-and-meetings/annual
Tuesday, November 18, 2014 : 10:45 AM - 11:00 AM

Larry Cook, MStat, PhD , Intermountain Injury Control Research Center, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT
Tomohiko Funai, MS , Department of Pediatrics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT
Timothy Simmons, MStat , Department of Pediatrics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT
Andrea Thomas, MS , Intermountain Injury Control Research Center, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT
Cody Olsen, MS , Department of Pediatrics, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT
Introduction: Motor vehicle crashes (MVC) are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality for teenagers. Graduated driver licensing (GDL) programs are a common intervention designed to reduce this burden on newly licensed teens. Objective: Compare rates of teenage driver involvement in injury producing MVCs by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety rating of GDL programs. Methods: 2005-2008 MVC data probabilistically linked with emergency department and hospital discharge data from the Crash Outcome Data Evaluation System (CODES) Data Network were used to identify 16-18 year-old driver MVCs. GDL programs were classified as Good or Fair/Marginal. Intercensal estimates were used to derive the number of 16-18 years-olds in each state and per capita MVC rates. An injury MVC was defined as one in which at least one occupant sustained a MAIS≥2 injury or died. Rate ratios were estimated using Poisson regression models with generalized estimating equations. Results: 519,094 teenage drivers were involved in MVCs: 22.0% were 16; 36.6% were 17; and 41.4% were 18. The rate of teenage driver involvement in injury MVCs for GDL programs rated as Good was 38% lower than GDL programs rated as Marginal/Fair. Good-rated GDL programs were also associated with lower rates of nighttime injury MVCs, lower rates of involvement by unbelted teenage drivers and teenage drivers suspected of alcohol/drug use. The largest risk reductions were associated with 16 year-old drivers. Risk reductions diminished with increasing age. Conclusion: Components of GDL incorporated in Good-rated programs were associated with risk reductions of teenage driver involvement in injury MVCs.

Learning Areas:

Biostatistics, economics
Conduct evaluation related to programs, research, and other areas of practice
Epidemiology
Public health or related public policy
Public health or related research

Learning Objectives:
Describe the differences between Good and Marginal/Fair graduated driver licensing laws. Discuss the age-related motor vehicle crash risk differences for different graduated driver licensing law types. Understand age-related motor vehicle crash risk differences by specific graduated driver licensing law component.

Keyword(s): Motor Vehicles, Youth

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have 18 years experience analyzing motor vehicle crashes and their outcomes. I have been a member of the ICEHS section for more the 10 years and am a past program planner.
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.