News and Events
PA’s Pottstown Mercury Runs Teen Driving Series
February 15, 2010 – The first in a series of articles on teen driving in the state of Pennsylvania cites CHOP’s research in support of better laws and involved parenting to protect teens.
Read the article
Read related articles from the series:
Teen Driving Limits are Long Overdue in PA
Pottstown Area Hit Hard by Teen Crashes
Living Two Lives for One Mistake
‘Dare to Prepare’ workshop for Parents
Ten Things Parents can do to Keep Teen Drivers Safe
Teens Have Their Own Views On Driving Limits and Auto Safety
OpEd by CHOP Expert Stands Up for Improved Teen Driving Laws in PA
January 3, 2010 – Dr. Flaura Winston's Op-Ed in Sunday's Philadelphia Inquirer makes clear the need for Pennsylvania lawmakers to pass an improved GDL bill, following the deaths of six teen passengers within a month.
Read Dr. Winston's Op-Ed
Read a related Inquirer editorial from Jan. 1st
Read a 12/22 story outlining the state of PA teen driving legislation
Listen to the 1/5 interview with Dr. Winston on Radio Times
Recent Teen Crashes Beg Action on Pennsylvania Teen Driving Laws
December 22, 2009 – A front page article in the Philadelphia Inquirer makes clear the need for Pennsylvania Lawmakers to pass an improved GDL bill, following the deaths of six teen passengers within a month.
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New Research Shows Parent-Teen Interactions May Cut Teen Crash Risk in Half
September 28, 2009 – Two new studies conducted by The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and State Farm Insurance Companies® published today in Pediatrics reveal a link between teen driver crashes and the way families communicate and approach rules about safety. Researchers found teens are half as likely to crash and far less likely to drink and drive, use a cell phone, or speed if their parents set clear rules, pay attention to where they’re going, who they’ll be with, and when they’ll be home in a supportive way. In addition, the researchers found that teens who reported being the main driver of a car were twice as likely to have been in a crash than teens who said they share a car with other family members.
Read the press release, watch news stories, and learn more.
Download fact sheets and other resources for parents.
Read the new research report: Driving Through the Eyes of Teens, A Closer Look.
Read the Associated Press article.
Read about the research in U.S. News and World Report.
Read about the new research in USA Today.
Read the study abstract about communicating rules.
Read the study abstract about sharing a vehicle.
Watch a NBC-TV "Today Show" segment about this research.
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood References Parental Involvement Research in Opening Remarks at Distracted Driving Summit
Injury Center Supports Changes to PA Graduated Driver Licensing Law
May 31, 2009 – PA House Bill 67, which would restrict teens with junior licenses from using wireless devices and require 10 additional hours of nighttime driving practice before receiving an unrestricted license, is poised to be passed in the state legislature. Suzanne Hill, CIRP's director of Advocacy and Outreach, explains how limiting distractions and increasing driving practice has been proven to help protect teens and their passengers.
Read the full article in the Lancaster Intelligencer Journal
Center Expert Tells Why Teen Drivers Face an Increased Crash Risk
May 23, 2009 – Kenneth R. Ginsburg, MD, an Adolescent Medicine expert at the Center for Injury Research and Prevention, explains the dangerous role of inexperience and distractions in newly-licensed teen drivers and ways parents can help their teens become safe drivers.
Read the full article on MSN.com
Children with Special Needs Affecting Behavior More Likely Than Other Children to be Restrained Correctly, but Researchers See no Reduced Injury Rate
February 2, 2009 – The first large-scale study on child restraint use and injury risk among children with special needs likely to affect behavior appears in the February issue of Pediatrics. Although children with special needs likely to affect behavior were more likely to be appropriately restrained in motor vehicles as compared to children with no special needs, they had a similar risk of injury.
Read the press release
Read the study abstract
New Research Reveals 1 in 25 or 4.2 Percent of Teens Drive Unlicensed, Increasing Their Risk for a Fatal Crash
November 3, 2008 – Unlicensed teen drivers are over-represented in fatal crashes, according to federal crash data. CHOP and State Farm took a closer look at this group and found unlicensed teens are more likely to drive without a seat belt, under the influence, and without a purpose. Additional insights, including which teens are most at risk and how to help them, are included in the study published in Pediatrics.
Read the press release
Unlicensed Teen Driver Study Is Wake Up Call for Parents
November 3, 2008 – Dr. Flaura Winston, co-scientific director of the Young Driver Research Initiative and principal investigator of the study discussed in this Health Day article, explains her research that found 1 in 25 teens drive unlicensed, increasing their risk for a fatal crash. She also shares advice on how to make the roads safer for all teen drivers.
Read the Health Day article online
Children in Car Crashes Are Better Protected Than Ever: AIAM sponsors 2008 Partners for Child Passenger Safety Fact and Trend Report
September 22, 2008 – According to data collected by CHOP and State Farm's Partners for Child Passenger Safety Study, from 1999 to 2007, researchers noted that overall child restraint use increased from 51 percent to 80 percent among children younger than 9. During this same period, restraint use among 4- to 8-year-olds, including booster seats, has quadrupled - from 15 percent to 63 percent.
Read the press release
Download the full report
Center's Adolescent Medicine Expert Share Parenting Advice in New York Times
September 14, 2008 – Ken Ginsburg, M.D., M.S.Ed., the Center's expert on adolescent medicine and development, shares his advice for raising safe, responsible teenagers behind the wheel and beyond in this New York Times feature.
Read the article online
Read more news and press releases in our archives.
