Thousands of teens reveal their perceptions, experience in scientific
survey
PHILADELPHIA, May 5 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Perception does not
equal reality with teen drivers according to a study released today by The
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and State Farm Insurance(R) in
the journal Pediatrics. Using the National Young Driver Survey, researchers
studied more than 5,000 9th through 11th graders from across the country to
examine their attitudes about 25 risky driving situations. Teens identified
the factors they perceived as most important in a safe driving situation,
and then estimated how often they see their peers exhibit these behaviors.
Their answers revealed important gaps in teens' understanding of factors
that can lead to crashes.
"Teens revealed that our current messages about inexperience and
distractions are missing the mark, and that different populations of teens
face different risks when it comes to alcohol and speeding," explains
Kenneth R. Ginsburg, MD, MSEd, an adolescent medicine physician and lead
author of the study. "It's up to parents, educators and policymakers to
make sure teens receive the right messages to keep them safe, and this
research tells us they need to hear very specific and actionable messages."
Armed with teens' input, the researchers created a list of prioritized
areas for parents and educators to increase their efforts. These areas
include delivering more specific messages about inexperience and
distractions, along with reinforcing the hazards of speeding and alcohol
use for certain groups of teens.
"This survey reinforces that teens need sufficient time to gain
experience and build critical skills behind the wheel. Graduated Driver
Licensing laws [GDL] are one measure proven to address inexperience and
distractions," said Laurette Stiles, vice president of strategic resources
at State Farm. "State Farm continues to be a strong supporter of GDL laws;
and together with CHOP we are working to address a variety of teen driver
issues including education."
Key insights from the survey include:
Teens don't recognize themselves as inexperienced drivers.
Sixty percent of teens believe inexperience heavily influences safety,
but only 15 percent consider their peers to be inexperienced. This
contradiction is quite dangerous, considering this sample of teens is
almost exclusively comprised of inexperienced, novice drivers. Focus group
data from CHOP suggest teens judge experience based on driver licensure,
rather than miles driven or exposure to difficult driving circumstances.
Teens identify some distractions as more dangerous than others.
Although only one-quarter of respondents correctly view cell phone use
while driving as very dangerous, the overwhelming majority of teens (79%)
recognize text messaging as a very dangerous behavior while driving.
Additionally, most teens recognize that when cell phones trigger emotions,
they pose a greater danger in the car.
Similarly, only 10 percent of teens correctly view passengers as
potentially hazardous; however, many more acknowledge that certain
passenger behaviors increase risk, such as "acting wild" (65%) or
encouraging the driver to speed (62%).
"Teens do not see their world in black and white; they see it in
Technicolor," says Dr. Ginsburg. "Educational messages that address these
many gradations of risk within distractions may resonate better with teens.
We need to reinforce teens' accurate perceptions of risk and correct any
misperceptions."
Certain teen populations are receiving insufficient education about
risks, such as speeding and drinking and driving.
The survey also showed that ethnic disparities exist with regard to
perception of and exposure to certain risks. However the researchers note
that these findings were not as strong as those concerning inexperience and
distractions. Caucasian teens are more likely than Hispanic or African
American teens to see their peers racing or speeding and also do not rank
these behaviors to be as risky.
On average, all teens reported rarely seeing their peers drink and
drive. However, African American and Hispanic teens viewed drinking alcohol
while driving as less risky than did Caucasian teens. Moreover, African
American teens were somewhat more likely to report seeing peers drink and
drive than were Caucasian teens.
"It's important to acknowledge that specific sub-populations of teens
are not receiving or are rejecting the current messages about these risky
driving behaviors," explains Flaura Winston, MD, PhD, co-scientific
director of CHOP's Center for Injury Research and Prevention, and a
co-author on the study. "Educators and advocates need to change their
strategies to more effectively engage different populations of teens with
the messages that they need to hear."
The researchers say this survey is the first step in exploring how to
make adults who care about the safety of teenagers - educators, clinicians,
parents, and others - more effective in conveying safety messages that
resonate with all teens and meet their needs.
For more information, visit http://www.chop.edu/youngdrivers. To download an
audio news release, visit http://www.mediaseed.tv/Story.aspx?story=35050.
About the Young Driver Research Initiative
Motor vehicle crashes remain the No. 1 cause of death among teens in
the United States. Teen drivers (ages 16 to 19) die at four times the rate
of adult drivers (ages 25 to 69). To reduce injury and death from young
driver-related crashes through scientific research and outreach, The
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and State Farm Insurance Companies(R)
have formed an alliance called the Young Driver Research Initiative (YDRI).
This academic-industry alliance also created Partners for Child Passenger
Safety, the world's largest study of children in crashes.
About The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia was founded in 1855 as the
nation's first pediatric hospital. Through its long-standing commitment to
providing exceptional patient care, training new generations of pediatric
health care professionals and pioneering major research initiatives,
Children's Hospital has fostered many discoveries that have benefited
children worldwide. Its pediatric research program is among the largest in
the country, ranking third in National Institutes of Health funding. In
addition, its unique family-centered care and public service programs have
brought the 430-bed hospital recognition as a leading advocate for children
and adolescents. For more information, visit http://www.chop.edu.
About State Farm
State Farm(R) insures more cars and homes than any other insurer in the
U.S., is the leading insurer of watercraft and is also a leading insurer in
Canada. State Farm's 17,000 agents and 68,000 employees serve over 76
million auto, fire, life and health policies in the United States and
Canada, and more than 1.7 million bank accounts. State Farm Mutual
Automobile Insurance Company is the parent of the State Farm family of
companies. State Farm is ranked No. 32 on the Fortune 500 list of largest
companies. For more information, please visit statefarm.com(R) or in Canada
statefarm.ca(R).
SOURCE The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
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Related links:
http://www.chop.edu
http://www.statefarm.com/
CONTACT:
Dana Mortensen of The Children's Hospital of
Philadelphia, +1-267-426-6092, mortensen@email.chop.edu; or
Xochitl Yanez of State Farm Insurance Companies, +1-202-263-4406,
xochitl.yanez.swtw@statefarm.com
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