Crash Risk and Risky Driving Behavior Among Adolescents During Learner and Independent Driving Periods

Pnina Gershon; Johnathon P Ehsani; Chunming Zhu; Kellienne R Sita; Sheila Klauer; Tom Dingus; Bruce Simons-Morton

doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2018.04.012

Crash Risk and Risky Driving Behavior Among Adolescents During Learner and Independent Driving Periods

J Adolesc Health. 2018 Nov;63(5):568-574. doi: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2018.04.012. Epub 2018 Jul 10.

Authors

Pnina Gershon¹, Johnathon P Ehsani², Chunming Zhu³, Kellienne R Sita⁴, Sheila Klauer⁵, Tom Dingus⁵, Bruce Simons-Morton⁴

Affiliations

¹ Health Behavior Branch, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland. Electronic address: pnina.gershon@nih.gov.
² Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland.
³ TPG/Glotech Team, Division of Intramural Population Health Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland.
⁴ Health Behavior Branch, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland.
⁵ Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, Blacksburg, Virginia.

PMID: 30006026
DOI: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2018.04.012

Abstract

Purpose: Novice adolescents' crash rates are highly elevated early in licensure, despite substantial practicedriving during the learner period. The objectives of this study were to examine the variability in measures of driving risk among adolescents during the learner and early independent driving periods and evaluate how risk varies by driving experience, gender, time of day, and road surface conditions.

Methods: Objective driving data were collected in a naturalistic cohort study of 90 adolescent drivers with learner driving permit and 131 experienced adult drivers. Participants' private vehicles were equipped with data acquisition system documenting driving kinematics, miles driven, and video recordings of the driver and the driving environment. Crash/near-crash (CNC) and kinematic risky driving (KRD) rates were calculated during the learner and early independent driving periods by gender (female/male), time of day (day/night), and road surface conditions (wet/dry) for adolescents and adults.

Results: CNC and KRD rates of adolescents were similar to adult drivers during the learner period (CNC: incident rate ratio [IRR] = 1.67, confidence interval [CI] = .98-2.82 and KRD: IRR = 1.04, CI = .78-1.40, respectively), but dramatically higher in the first year of independent driving (CNC: IRR = 6.51, CI = 4.03-10.51 and KRD: IRR = 3.95, CI = 2.96-5.26, respectively), and particularly elevated the first 3months of licensure. Adolescent KRD rates were higher for males than females and invariably higher than adult rates during day and night, wet and dry conditions.

Conclusions: While the learner driving period was relatively safe for adolescents, the transition to independent driving was typified by a dramatic increase in risk among adolescents that was higher than adult rates overall and under varying driving conditions.

Keywords: Adolescent drivers; Graduated driver licensing (GDL); Learner driving period; Risky driving.

Publication types

Research Support, N.I.H., Intramural

MeSH terms

Accidents, Traffic / statistics & numerical data*
Adolescent
Automobile Driving / legislation & jurisprudence*
Cohort Studies
Female
Humans
Learning*
Licensure / legislation & jurisprudence
Licensure / statistics & numerical data*
Male
Risk-Taking*
Sex Factors
Time Factors
Video Recording
Weather

Grants and funding

HHSN275201300026I/HD/NICHD NIH HHS/United States