Research In Action

I was recently at the Pediatric Academic Societies meeting presenting findings from our young driver safety research when a pediatrician and nervous mother of a teen learner driver approached me. She told me that she decided to swap cars with her teen so that her teen learns to drive in her brand-new car while she drives around their older vehicle. She did this because she wants her teen learner to have all the benefits of the latest advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) features in the newer model car. “They need all the help they can get!” she said. Knowing the young driver safety research and particularly having just seen the recent research published by my colleague and friend Dr. Yang in JAMA Network Open, I could confidently tell her that she had it right! Teens do need all the help they can get (they are disproportionately at risk for fatal crashes), and ADAS features may help reduce their chances of being in a fatal crash.

Getting a first car is a rite of passage for many young people in the United States. When young people start driving their own, it is often in cars that are older and less expensive, sometimes passed down from other family members as a “starter” car. While this may be a cost-effective choice in the case where a new learner may make some mistakes resulting in scratches and dings, new research published this week/month in JAMA Network Open suggests that this practice of giving teens older cars may put teens at risk because older cars lack key safety features that may help prevent crashes. 

Every year, more new cars come equipped with ADAS like adaptive cruise control, forward collision prevention, and lane assist. These technologies are intended to support a fully engaged driver and prevent crashes. However, parents often give teens older, less safe cars without these features. 

My friend Dr. Yang and other researchers from Nationwide Children’s Hospital and UC San Diego wanted to know if teens driving older vehicles and vehicles with fewer ADAS features were more likely to die in a crash. They examined a comprehensive nationwide crash database of fatal crashes to identify the characteristics of the vehicles that teens and adults were driving in fatal crashes. They found that teen drivers were more likely to drive older vehicles and vehicles with fewer ADAS features. Drivers of all ages were more likely to die in a crash when they were driving older vehicles and driving vehicles with fewer ADAS features. 

Recommendations for Clinicians, Teens, and Families 

We published a commentary in JAMA Network Open providing some practical recommendations for teens, families, and clinicians based on the findings of this important research. Teens and their families can: 

• Refer to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) website which lists the safest used cars for teens at various price points. 
• Learn about driver assistance technologies in their vehicle. Families can review vehicle manuals and practice using these features in controlled environments like parking lots. 
• Learn the limitations of driver assistance technologies. Features like automatic cruise control are only intended to be used while the driver is actively focused on the road. 

Clinicians can emphasize these messages to patients. They can refer them to the IIHS website, encourage practice, and emphasize the need for active engagement in driving rather than relying on technology. The good news is that vehicles are getting safer, so ten years from now the used cars will have even more safety features than the used cars of today. For more information, visit Teen Driver Source.