Citation

Stone LM, Runyan CW. J. Adolesc. Health 2005; 36(1): 5-8.

Affiliation

University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA. lstone@unch.unc.edu

Copyright

(Copyright © 2005, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.jadohealth.2003.12.009

PMID

15661590

Abstract

PURPOSE: To examine differences in motor vehicle crash involvement for teenagers in communities with and without school policies enabling teens to drive off campus during lunchtime. METHODS: Comparison of lunchtime motor vehicle crashes involving teen drivers in two North Carolina counties having open-lunch policies with a third county without an open-lunch policy. We also compare crash rates during the before-school period and at all times of the day in the three counties. Data were analyzed by computing rate ratios of teens' involvement in a crash during the three time periods and comparing them among the three counties. RESULTS: Crash rates over the lunch hours were significantly higher for teenagers in the counties with open-lunch policies, despite these counties having no elevated crash risk during other time periods. This resulted in a relative risk of lunchtime crash involvement of 3.10 and 2.98 (95% CI 1.97-4.89 and 1.87-4.74, respectively) compared with the county without an open-lunch policy. Number of vehicle occupants also increased during the lunch hours in the counties with open-lunch policies. CONCLUSIONS: Open-lunch policies contribute to motor vehicle crashes in teenagers and encourage a situation where there are multiple occupants per vehicle, a known risk factor for teenage motor vehicle crashes.