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Young Driver Research Initiative

Motor vehicle crashes remain the number one cause of death among teens in the U.S. in spite of increased awareness of the importance of seat belt use and the dangers of drinking and driving. The fatality rate for drivers age 16 to 19 years, based on mile driven, is four times that of drivers age 25 to 69 years.

The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, the University of Pennsylvania, and State Farm Insurance Companies ®, the same academic-industry alliance that created and sustains the worlds largest study of children in crashes, have joined together to address the urgent need to advance science to reduce death and injury from young driver-related crashes.

The activities to date for this research alliance include the formation of a multidisciplinary Young Driver Research Initiative (YDRI) Expert Panel and publication of “The Science of Safe Driving Among Adolescents,” a special supplement issue of the journal Injury Prevention, in June 2006. The supplement features 11 articles that provide a broad understanding of driving, adolescent development, and adolescent driving. During this same period, the alliance also conducted quantitative and qualitative research that included scientifically rigorous survey, focus group and interview methods to gain knowledge about teen driving from teens and parents.

In early 2006, the alliance conducted the first National Young Driver Survey to learn about students’ perceptions and experiences surrounding teen driving. The weighted data from the survey are representative of all 10.2 million ninth through 11th graders in the United States. It is the most current description of youth perceptions of teen driving. The survey results will inform the direction of further research for years to come. Initial results from the National Young Driver Survey are collected in the alliance’s first research report; “Driving: Through the Eyes of Teens”.

Early survey results show further support for the importance of parental involvement in the driver training process; detail the prevalence of distractions in teens’ vehicles; and shed light on which high-risk driving behaviors are most prevalent among young drivers. In addition, the survey provides important information on teens’ crash experiences, vehicle types, financial responsibility for costs associated with driving, the amount of time they spend driving and for what purpose. These early findings just scratch the surface of the depth and breadth of insight the survey will provide.

The Children’s Hospital and State Farm are committed to continuing research and outreach that can ultimately reduce the risk of crash injury for teen drivers and those that share the road with them. We will share this body of work as it unfolds with those best positioned to implement positive changes for young drivers: policymakers, parents, driving instructors, parents, teens and others. Visit our website for parents and educators at www.chop.edu/youngdrivers .

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NEW REPORT! Driving: Through the Eyes of Teens

Read the first report from the National Young Driver Survey, conducted by the alliance between State Farm and The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. The Report offers insights from teenagers nationwide on what’s happening in their cars that makes them unsafe.