UMTRI Project

Traffic Crash Risk and Protective Factors in Teens

Sponsor: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Investigators: C. Raymond Bingham, Jean T. Shope
09/01/2005 - 04/30/2007

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of mortality and morbidity among teens, and numbers of crashes involving teen drivers have been increasing dramatically. The proposed study addresses the urgent need to identify and understand factors contributing to crashes among teen drivers. The proposed study is analyzing a two state-wide Michigan databases: 1) the complete population of Michigan State Police Records of crashes involving teen drivers ages 15-19; and, 2) the complete population of Michigan State Police Records of crashes involving adult drivers ages 45-65. These data are being used to identify the types of crashes for which teens are at excess risk compared to adults. A third sample is from a one-of-a-kind longitudinal database measuring the psychosocial and problem behavior development of a sample of students followed from 5th through 12th grade in school, their complete cumulative police crash records from licensure through age 19, and their complete driver license history from licensure to age 19. This database is being used to examine individual psychosocial risk and protective characteristics that predict the high-risk crash types identified using the state-wide databases. Based on the results of these analyses, practical guidelines for intervention and policy will be developed and disseminated. This study will provide a better understanding of risk and protective factors related to crashes involving teen drivers, and will advance the development of intervention, public policy and law enforcement programs that strategically target and decrease the incidence of crashes among teen drivers.