Excerpt

The two-day workshop summarized in this report was held at the National Academies in May 2006. The workshop made possible expert presentation of new research findings from the social, behavioral, and health sciences, as well as opportunities to engage in broad interdisciplinary dialogue about the implications of this research. Apart from the expertise of the speakers and members of the program committee, the participants included others with a wide array of expertise in traffic safety and adolescent health interests, as well as stakeholders concerned with improving the quality of life for today’s youth—including parents whose lives have been touched by the tragedy of motor vehicle crash fatalities.

Contents

• The National Academies
• Program Committee
• Board on Children, Youth, and Families
• Transportation Research Board 2006 Executive Committee
• Preface
• 1. Introduction: A Critical Public Health Problem
• 2. The Anatomy of Crashes Involving Young Drivers
  • THE GRAVEST PUBLIC HEALTH PROBLEM FOR YOUNG DRIVERS
  • RISK FACTORS
  • COMMON TEEN DRIVING ERRORS
• 3. Characteristics of Adolescence That Can Affect Driving
  • DEVELOPMENT— HOW ADOLESCENTS DIFFER FROM ADULTS
  • ADOLESCENT DECISION MAKING
  • THE IMPORTANT ROLE OF PEERS
  • SLEEP DEPRIVATION
  • THE SOCIAL CONTEXT OF TEEN DRIVING
• 4. Strategies to Improve Safety
  • CURRENT STRATEGIES
  • STRATEGIES WITH POTENTIAL
• 5. Moving Forward
  • NEED FOR SYNTHESIS, COORDINATION, AND APPLICATION
  • SPECIFIC RESEARCH NEEDS
  • NEXT STEPS
• References
• Appendix Workshop Agenda and Participants

This study was supported by Award Nos. N01-OD-4-2139, 200-2000-00629, and UPVT-7578 between the National Academy of Sciences and the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the State Farm Insurance Companies®. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the organizations or agencies that provided support for the project.

Suggested citation:

National Research Council, Institute of Medicine, and Transporta- tion Research Board. (2007). Preventing Teen Motor Crashes: Contributions from the Be- havioral and Social Sciences, Workshop Report. Program Committee for a Workshop on Contributions from the Behavioral and Social Sciences in Reducing and Preventing Teen Motor Crashes. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.