NYS Department of HealthBureau of Injury Prevention (BIP)

Surveillance StaffMichael Bauer, MSKainan Sun, PhDSarah Sperry, MS

Teen Driver Project ManagerDebra Douglass, MS CHES

Bureau DirectorSusan Hardman

BIP Topic Areas

Motor Vehicle Child Passenger

Teen Driver Today’s Focus

Older Driver

Drowsy

Motorcycle

ATV

Non-motorized Transport Pedestrian Bike Scooter Skateboard In-line Skates

Non-Traffic Shaken Baby Syndrome Falls Choking Poisoning Childhood Unintentional

Injuries Fire

Injury Surveillance and Research

Prevention Program Activities:

Injury Surveillance @ the BIP

• What We Do:

• Identify and monitor injury incidence & use data to assist in the development and evaluation of prevention programs

Injury Surveillance @ the BIP

• How We Do it:

– Statewide Planning And Research Cooperative System (SPARCS)

• Hospital Discharge Data (≈160,000 per year)

• Outpatient Emergency Department Visits (ED) (≈1,500,000 per year)

– Multiple Causes-of-Death and Vital Statistics Death Files

• Track all deaths due to injury (≈7,250 per year)

– CODES Project

• Crash Outcome Data Evaluation System (CODES) is a linked database

Matches Individual Records:

1. From AIS to PCR

2. From AIS to SPARCS

CODES Project

Pre-hospital Care

Reports (PCR)

SPARCS

Accident

Information

System (AIS)

Why Linked Data?

• Expands crash data so that components of highway safety can be evaluated in terms of outcomes such as death, injury, injury severity, medical diagnosis, patient disposition, hospital charges, and payer source

• Creates a more complete picture of the crash and resultant outcomes

New York State Teens (ages 16-20)Leading Causes of Death, 2007

WISQARSTM

Data Source: National Center for Health Statistics

Motor Vehicle Traffic26%

All Other Un-intentional

Injuries13%

Homicide21%

Cancer9%

Suicide9%

Heart Disease

4%

All Other Deaths

18%

Surveillance of Teen Driver

Key Teen Driver Topic Areas

• Safety Belt Use

• Drowsy Driving Crashes

• Speed-Related Crashes

• Alcohol-Related Crashes

• Distracted Driving Crashes

• Graduated License Law

Percent of Driver Safety Belt Use*Motor Vehicle CrashesNew York State, 2008

Pe

rce

nta

ge

of S

afe

ty B

elt U

se

*Belt and / or Harness use indicated in crash report

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

16-17 18-20 25-44

Age in Years Male Female

Safety Belt Use*, DriversMotor Vehicle Crashes New York State, 2008

• Drivers that didn’t wear seatbelts had higher percentages of treatment at a hospital and death!

Age Group

16-17 18-20 25-44

B/H* None B/H* None B/H* None

# Drivers 12,164 290 35,614 931 150,551 4,463

% of Drivers 91.3 2.2 89.5 2.3 85.6 2.5

% Deaths 0.04 1.4 0.06 1.4 0.04 1.4

% Hospitalized 0.9 7.4 1.1 7.4 0.9 5.4

% ED Visits 25.3 44.5 24.5 38.2 21.4 28.9

*Belt and / or Harness use indicated in crash report

Safety Belt Use*, DriversMotor Vehicle Crashes New York State, 2008

Mean

Charges and

Length of

Stay

Age Group

16-17 18-20 25-44

B/H* None B/H* None B/H* None

ED Charge $1,514 $1,736 $1,513 $2,173 $1,619 $2,298

Hospitalization Charge

$32,773 $64,233 $32,174 $52,469 $31,021 $54,365

Length of Hospital Stay in Days

5 17 5 6 5 8

• Drivers that didn’t use seatbelts had higher average charges and length hospital of stay!

*Belt and / or Harness use indicated in crash report

Teen Driving Safety Project

• Every day, an average of 28 teen drivers ages 16-20 years are treated in NYS hospitals

• Although drivers aged 16-20 account for only 5% of all licensed drivers in NYS, they are involved in 11% of all fatal and personal injury crashes

• The BIP actively seeks to promote safety belt use and safe driving practices among teens

• Educational Outreach Strategies

– Publications

– Resources

– Campaign

– Partnership Initiatives

Teen Driving Safety Project

The objectives of the project include:

– Identify teen driving safety priorities determined through data assessment.

– Provide technical assistance, training, and information on proven teen driving safety strategies to local and state partners.

– Develop and distribute teen driving safety educational and promotional materials for parents, teens and traffic safety professionals.

– Convene a multi-agency workgroup to focus on teen driver safety issues.

Teen Driving Training Opportunity

• In 2007 the NYSDOH BIP conducted a one-day workshop on teen driving safety for injury prevention and traffic safety partners.

• Topics included:

– a description of the teen driving problem

– risk factor identification

– characteristics of the target audience

– proven and promising crash prevention strategies

New York Partnership for Teen Driving Safety• In 2008 the NYSDOH BIP established a statewide multi-

agency initiative to reduce teen driving crashes and injuries.

• The committees seek to promote the institution of law enforcement, educational, judicial, legislative and school policy strategies to promote teen driving safety behaviors.

• Steps being taken to promote teen driving safety include:– Taking an inventory of and sharing promising community-based

programs at workgroup meetings

– Development of a web-based clearinghouse of teen driving safety resources

– Development of a teen driving safety informational packet for parents for distribution through local Dept of Motor Vehicle Offices.

– Statewide promotion of public awareness activities during National Youth Traffic Safety Month.

Save Your Friend’s Life Over the Airwaves Contest

• The BIP assists in the coordination of a statewide PSA contest conducted by the New York State Association of Traffic Safety Boards (NYSATSB).

• High school students submit recorded public service announcements addressing five leading risk factors associated with teen driving crashes and injuries.

• The winners receive cash awards from financial contributions provided by state and local partners.

• The CDs with winning PSAs are provided to radio stations and local partners to incorporate into community-based teen driving safety campaigns.

• Listen to the PSAs by visiting www.nysatsb.org.

Safety Belt PromotionInitiative

The project was initiated by the NYSDOH BIP in 2007 to recognize teen drivers and passengers for safety belt use when involved in a moderate-to-severe motor vehicle crash.

Members receive a Certificate of Recognition and supply of “Friends Make Friends Buckle Up’ rubber wristbands to give to friends to promote safety belt use.

Teens can apply for recognition or be nominated by

law enforcement officers or emergency responders.

Teen Driving SafetyPublications

• Is it Safe? Passenger Safety Survival Tip Card for teen drivers and passengers.

• Teen Driving Fact Sheet for traffic safety program coordinators.

• Teen Driving Safety booklet for parents.

Drowsy Driving Prevention Initiatives

• Facilitation and participation in a state partnership to increase pubic awareness of the dangers of drowsy driving.

• Coordination of statewide media campaigns conducted in conjunction with annual sleep awareness and drowsy driving observances.

• Development and distribution of “Stay Awake –Stay Alive” brochure for teen drivers.

• Development and dissemination of recorded public service announcements targeting teen drivers for statewide media campaign.

Our Partnerships

• Our partners are essential:

– In determining research initiatives.

– In providing avenues for data dissemination.

– In providing an interdisciplinary approach to traffic safety.

Our partners are vital in making New York

State roadways safer!

Linked Data Used in Teen Driver Initiatives

• To better understand the burden of teen driver motor vehicle injuries then could be gleamed from any of the individual data sets alone.

• To identify teen driver safety priorities.

• Target initiatives in high risk populations.

• Raise awareness with both public health and traffic safety professionals and with teen drivers and their caregivers.

• Included in public service campaigns including contests, brochures, and fact sheets.

• Respond to data requests from public health and traffic safety professionals.

Thank you!

• This work was supported, in part, by grants from:– The National Highway Traffic Safety

Administration

– Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

– The New York State Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee

Michael Bauer

mjb13@health.state.ny.us

(518) 473-1143

www.health.ny.gov/prevention/injury_prevention