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Assessment of vehicle age for 17- to 24-year-old New Jersey drivers via linked crash report and licensing data
Thesis   Open access

Assessment of vehicle age for 17- to 24-year-old New Jersey drivers via linked crash report and licensing data

Kareena Hundal
Master of Public Health (M.P.H.), Drexel University
20 Mar 2019
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17918/00010420
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Hundal_Kareena_CBMP_paper_2019424.96 kBDownloadView
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Abstract

Motor vehicles Vehicle age Adolescents
Background: Adolescents and young adults are at the highest risk of motor vehicle crashes and deaths. These age groups may be affected disproportionately because they are driving less safe vehicles. Objective: To assess differences in vehicle ages of 17- to 24-year-old New Jersey drivers by license status using information from drivers determined as non-responsible for a crash. Methods: The New Jersey Traffic Safety Outcomes (NJ-TSO) data warehouse combines two administrative sources -- New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission's licensing database and the New Jersey Department of Transportation's crash database -- for the period of 2004 through 2014. Vehicle age was analyzed through multivariable linear regression and an interaction term was assessed. Results: Drivers with their intermediate license were driving vehicles that were 1.30 (95% CI: 1.21-1.39) years older than their full license counterparts in the adjusted multivariable model. An interaction was found between income level and license status. Individuals of intermediate license status and low income level drove vehicles that were 2.41 (2.28-2.54) years older than their full license and high income counterparts. Conclusions: Intermediate license drivers drove older vehicles than full license drivers. Previous research demonstrates that newer drivers are more likely to be in crashes and their use of older vehicles may contribute to their increased risk of crash. Also, an interaction between license type and income level was significant, supporting a relationship between income, licensing and vehicle age. Adolescents should be driving newer and safer vehicles, emphasizing the need for widespread education on the topic of vehicle safety.

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