| Your car may be definitely in great shape, with | | | | 16 states and in Washington D.C. Data was |
| brand new GMC brake shoes and everything, but | | | | collected through interviews with the families of |
| how sure are you about its safety - once you let | | | | the crash victims within 48 hours of the accidents |
| your teenager drive it? | | | | in order to get accurate information on how the |
| A new study by the Children's Hospital of | | | | children were restrained. The accidents were |
| Philadelphia and State Farm reveals that children | | | | reported to State Farm between 2000 and 2005. |
| driven by teenagers are twice as likely to suffer | | | | Previous findings from the ongoing research |
| crash injuries as those driven by adults, but the | | | | alliance between CHOP and State Farm have |
| risk of injury is 40 percent lower if the teenaged | | | | proven that young children riding with newly |
| driver is an older brother or sister. | | | | licensed teenagers are at a much higher risk for |
| "We found that children are safer and more likely | | | | injury in a crash than they are with adult drivers. |
| to be restrained when riding with a teenaged | | | | This and other studies have resulted in lawmakers |
| sibling than with a non-related teenager, but | | | | in many states to impose restrictions on the |
| they're safest when they're riding with a driver | | | | number of passengers young drivers are allowed |
| older than 25," says Flaura Winston, M.D., Ph.D., | | | | to carry without adult supervision. Many states |
| scientific director of the Center for Injury | | | | however, allow exceptions for family members. |
| Research and Prevention at The Children's Hospital | | | | "Our goal was to determine whether allowing an |
| of Philadelphia. | | | | exception for teenaged drivers to carry family |
| According to Dr. Winston, parents should know | | | | members as passengers makes sense from an |
| their teenager's risk-taking tendencies before | | | | injury prevention standpoint, and not just as a |
| deciding to allow them to drive their brothers and | | | | matter of convenience," Dr. Winston says. |
| sisters around without supervision, "In some | | | | According to the Advocates for Highway and |
| cases, siblings can have a negative influence on | | | | Auto Safety, a consumer, health and safety |
| one another's risk-taking behaviors that can be | | | | alliance, forty-four states have graduated drivers |
| stronger than parental or peer influence," she | | | | licensing (GDL) programs that require teenage |
| says. | | | | drivers to practice driving under adult supervision |
| A June 2006 study by the Traffic Injury | | | | and limit exposure to risky conditions and |
| Research Foundation called "Reducing the Crash | | | | circumstances. Twenty-nine states have a |
| Risk for Young Drivers says that more than half | | | | restriction provision of no more than one |
| of 16- and 17-year-old drivers involved in fatal | | | | non-familial teenage passenger per teenage driver, |
| crashes between 1995 and 2004 were carrying | | | | which Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety |
| passengers younger than 21. In 1995 to 2004, 16- | | | | considers optimal. |
| and 17-year-old drivers were involved in 24,704 | | | | "Busy parents have come to rely on their older |
| fatal crashes, resulting in the deaths of 10,445 of | | | | children helping with shuttling siblings to various |
| these drivers, 8,925 of their passengers and | | | | commitments," says Dr. Winston. "By allowing |
| 9,430 other people, the study found. | | | | family member exceptions, passenger restrictions |
| Parents are also warned that crash risk is highly | | | | may be readily accepted by both parents and |
| increased for teenaged drivers when there is no | | | | policymakers." Researchers say this may be an |
| predetermined destination - more reason for | | | | important first step for states, which currently |
| parents to insist on having a specific destination | | | | have no passenger restrictions for young drivers. |
| pinpointed for each trip a teenager takes. | | | | Rather than restrict sibling passengers, Dr. |
| The new study by the Children's Hospital of | | | | Winston recommends GDL programs to provide |
| Philadelphia and State Farm covered injury data | | | | appropriate education and disincentives, such as |
| on 16,233 children under age 16 riding as | | | | postponement of full-driving privileges if all child |
| passengers in cars driven by 15- to 19-year-olds in | | | | passengers are not properly restrained. |