Research In Action

National Teen Driver Safety Week (October 21-October 27) is the perfect time to remind pediatricians that they play an important role in preventing teen crashes through counseling and education.

Listen in as Katie K. Lockwood, MD, a primary care pediatrician at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and host of Primary Care Perspectives, a podcast series for pediatricians, discusses teen driver safety with Flaura Koplin Winston, MD, PhD, scientific director of the Center for Injury Research and Prevention. 

As Dr. Winston explains, Pennsylvania is one of only a few states that require medical certification for licensure. Thus, Pennsylvania's pediatricians have a unique opportunity to share information with families that can help prevent teen crashes, the number one cause of death for adolescents in the United States.

Besides determining if there are any medical or behavioral conditions that may prevent a teen from driving safely, pediatricians should talk about:

• Logging plenty of parent-supervised practice driving hours before a teen takes the on-road test at the DMV
• Always following traffic safety laws, including seat belts on every trip, no speeding, and avoid driving while distracted, drowsy, or impaired. 

Dr. Winston also shares how pediatricians can help families of teens with ADHD or other neurodevelopmental differences determine readiness to drive and locate specialized driver education resources if needed.

Listen to the podcast directly or from the Primary Care Perspectives website.