Young Driver Safety Research
Motor vehicle crashes remain a leading cause of death for young drivers. Through its multidisciplinary young driver safety research, the Center for Injury Research and Prevention (CIRP) at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Research Institute is working to reduce the frequency and severity of motor vehicle crashes involving young drivers.
Crashes involving young drivers are caused by multiple factors and require comprehensive solutions. Working to develop these solutions through young driver safety research is equally complex, involving many different disciplines and methods. Our young driver safety research team employs comprehensive, rigorous methods to both analyze factors associated with young driver crashes and develop solutions to change behaviors that contribute to these crashes. We believe that by understanding predictors of young driver crashes, we can help prevent them.
Driver Licensing and Training
The ability to access quality driver education and training in order to drive safely when licensed is both a young driver safety and transportation equity issue. Researchers at the Center for Injury Research and Prevention at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia are collaborating with researchers from the University of Pennsylvania to improve driver licensing and training.
Medical Conditions and Driving
CIRP researchers are collaborating with medical specialists at CHOP and the University of Pennsylvania to develop tailored approaches to help youth with certain medical conditions learn to drive safely and stay mobile. These conditions include epilepsy, congenital heart disease, and mood disorders.
Neurodevelopmental Differences and Driving
CHOP’s young driver safety research team is currently conducting rigorous research on adolescents with neurodevelopmental differences, including Autism Spectrum Disorder and Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, who want to drive or are currently driving, to examine their rates of licensure and risk of crashing to help establish the epidemiologic foundation for future translational research.
Neuroscience of Driving
To bridge basic neuroscience with applied driving research at the clinical and broader population level, the Young Driver Safety Research team at CIRP recently established the Neuroscience of Driving Research Program in partnership with CHOP’s neuroradiology Magnetoencephalography (MEG) Imaging Center.
Virtual Driving Assessment
Researchers at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia have developed and validated the virtual driving assessment, an innovative tool that can measure a person's ability to drive safely and avoid crashes.
Completed and Foundational Projects
For more than a decade, our young driver safety research team has conducted research to help prevent teen crashes. This work has furthered the science and influenced policy to keep young drivers safe.
