Daily HealthBeat Tip

Riding in cars with boys

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I'm Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

Teen-age drivers. Too fast, too close, too many crashes.

That's what every parent � and, it's to be hoped, every teen-age driver � knows. And a scientist with the National Institutes of Health has a possible reason. Bruce Simons-Morton and his colleagues looked at teen drivers' tailgating and speeding outside high schools in the Washington, D.C., area. The study is in the journal, ``Accident Analysis and Injury Prevention."

Simons-Morton says they found trouble in the front passenger seat:

"When a male teen passenger was present, it worsened risky driving behavior of both male and female teen drivers." (seven seconds)

Having a female in the passenger seat seemed to calm things down.

Simons-Morton says teen drivers ought to be aware this is happening and � when there's a teen-age boy up front � put the brakes on themselves.

Learn more at www.hhs.gov.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I'm Ira Dreyfuss.

Last revised: September 23, 2005

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