Objective: To evaluate the potential effectiveness of graduated driver licensing programs using population-based linked data for motor vehicle crashes (MVCs) that involved teenaged drivers (TDs).
Methods: Utah crash, inpatient hospital discharge, and emergency department databases were analyzed and probabilistically linked. We computed hospital charges and compared violations, contributing factors, seatbelt use, and passengers for TDs (16-17 years old) relative to adult drivers (18-59 years old).
Results: TDs comprised 5.8% of the study population, but were involved in 19.0% of MVCs. TD crashes resulted in $11 million in inpatient hospital charges and 158 fatalities. TD crashes were 1.70 times (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.34, 2.04) less likely to result in fatal injury to drivers than were crashes that involved adult drivers, but TDs were 2.20 times (95% CI: 1.96, 2.47) more likely to receive citations. The following were findings of the study: 1) 11% of all TD crashes but 19% of fatal TD crashes occurred between 2200 and 0600 hours; 2) TDs used seatbelts less often than did adult drivers (79.1% vs 84.4%) and less often with passengers present (81.9% vs 75.0%; 3) TDs were 1.72 times (95% CI: 1.38, 2.14) more likely to be involved in crashes that resulted in seriously or fatally injured occupants when driving with passengers than when driving alone.
Conclusions: TDs are overrepresented in MVCs. TD crashes have a higher fatality rate at night, and TDs wear seatbelts less often than do adult drivers. Passengers affect TD crash characteristics. Graduated driver licensing programs that target state-specific characteristics of TDs may decrease morbidity and mortality.