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Lewis H. Margolis, MD, MPH, Department of Maternal and Child Health, University of North Carolina, Rosenau Hall, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7445, 9199665974, lew_margolis@unc.edu, Robert Foss, PhD, Highway Safety Research Center, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill, 730 Airport Road, CB 3430, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3430, and Emmanuel M. Ngui, DrPH, Center for the Advancement of Urban Children, Department of Pediatrics, Medical College of Wisconsin, 8701 Watertown Plank Rd., Milwaukee, WI 53226.
Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among teenagers. Each year, approximately 1,800 16 and 17 year-olds die on America’s roadways. To address the risk of death and disability for young beginning drivers, 35 states and the District of Columbia have implemented Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) systems. Researchers in North Carolina, Michigan and a few other states have used crash data to show a 25-30% decline in motor vehicle crashes for 16 year-olds. The objective of this research is to examine the impact of GDL on hospitalization rates and hospital charges for 16 year-old drivers. Hospital discharge data for the years 1996 through 2001, spanning the implementation of GDL in North Carolina in December of 1997, were reviewed. Hospitalization of 16 year-old drivers declined from 6.2 per month to 3.4 per month over the course of six years, with a notable decline after full implementation of the GDL system. Consistent with the substantial decline in hospitalizations, hospital charges declined by 41%. Hospitalization rates for drivers greater than or equal to 17 years did not meaningfully decline during this time period. This is the first study to show that graduated licensing produces a decline in hospitalizations and hospital charges, not merely crashes.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Motor Vehicles, Adolescents
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.