Policies That Protect

• Child Trends CrossCurrents Data Brief Are Teens Driving Safer? (October 2005) highlights areas of concern contributing to fatal crashes, including lack of seat belt use, night driving, teen passengers, alcohol, lack of experience, and age.  The Data Brief explores some influential polices that have contributed to the decrease in teen motor vehicle deaths since 1980:
  • Seat Belt Use – The “Click It or Ticket” state seat belt enforcement programs have effectively increased seat belt use; seat belt use has been proven to improve the likelihood of surviving a crash.
  • Teen Drinking and Driving – The gains made in the decline of alcohol-related motor vehicle deaths in the 1980’s and 1990’s were credited to: raising the drinking age to 21, reducing legal blood alcohol concentration levels, and school- and community-based awareness programs (i.e., which contributed to the reduction in teen drinking and driving and teen binge drinking).
  • Graduated Licensing – Graduated licensing became popular by the mid-1990’s.  It involves a supervised learning period, followed by an intermediate phase of driving with restricted conditions, and finally a full license.  The intermediate phase, which typically includes restrictions on unsupervised driving at night and driving with passengers, is designed to help inexperienced drivers gain experience and avoid high-risk driving situations.
    • According to the report Graduated Licensing: A Blueprint for North America from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, as of September 2006, North Dakota was one of only five states lacking an intermediate stage. Using guidelines outlined in the report, North Dakota scored "marginal" for its licensing system.
  • Cell Phones and Teen Driving – Research shows the effect of talking on the phone can make the reaction time of youth ages 18-25 using a cell phone the same as older drivers 64-75 not using a cell phone.  The National Transportation Safety Board recommends that all state ban cell phone use among young drivers.

Pro-Active Programs for Prevention of Child and Teen Deaths

1. Healthy People 2010 and the National Initiative to Improve Adolescent Health
   • This initiative identifies 21 specific objectives for adolescents and young adults for state and local agencies and organizations to address important adolescent health and safety issues. A listing of the 21 objectives, using data to provide benchmarks to measure progress, how to get started, taking action and sustaining the intervention.  The approach focuses on young people’s assets rather than preventing a negative behavior.
2. Kids and Cars
   • This organization promotes awareness of the dangers of leaving children unattended in or around motor vehicles and protects children from sudden preventable danger in non-traffic, motor vehicle-related event. Many states have laws regarding children left in a motor vehicle.
3. MADD
   • The number one youth drug problem – underage drinking – is addressed by Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD).  Strategies include forming strong alliances with law enforcement, including prosecutors, on the national, state and local levels; reducing youth alcohol access; and decreasing the acceptance and support for underage drinking. The national three-year goal is to reduce by 5 percent the proportion of 16- to 20-year-olds who drink alcohol and/or engage in high risk drinking.  Presently North Dakota has two chapters located in Cass County and Turtle Mountain.
4. Mental Health Association in North Dakota
   • 2-1-1 Telephone Helpline
   • Online Depression Screening
5. National Children’s Center for Rural and Agricultural Health and Safety
   • Provides a wide range of services related to children and adolescents living in rural areas and more specific to this topic offers guidance for childhood injury prevention programs in both private and public sectors.
6. National Organizations for Youth Safety (NOYS)
   • A national health and safety coalition to promote youth empowerment and leadership and build partnerships that save lives, prevent injuries and enhance the safe and healthy lifestyles among all youth.
7. North Dakota Farm Bureau - Route 1000 Safe Driving Program for Teens
   • A new program educates teens on lifelong safe driving habits and rewards them with a $1,000 savings bond. Members attend a one-hour safety course with their parents, then sign an agreement promising to buckle up, drive safely, and not drink and drive.  After 1,000 consecutive days without an accident or violation, they receive a $1,000 savings bond. The goal is to impact the safety of North Dakota communities in which members live and reduce the highest crash statistics of any group – teen drivers.
8. SADD
   • Northern Lights Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) in North Dakota. This peer leadership organization provides middle school through college students with the best prevention and intervention tools possible to deal with the issues of underage drinking, other drug use, impaired driving and other destructive decisions.  In the mid-1980’s a few SADD chapters existed in North Dakota.  From 1998 to 2006 the number of SADD chapters increased from six to 71. 
9. North Dakota State Agencies and Programs that can provide assistance for your prevention efforts:
   • 2-1-1 Telephone Helpline
   • North Dakota Department of Human Services
     • Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services
       • Prevention Resource Center
   • North Dakota Department of Transportation
   • North Dakota Suicide Prevention Project
     • North Dakota Data

Data and Discussions:

Publication Resources for Death Data:

• NDKC Factbook (state, region, county levels; see description of indicators that are included):
  • See each two-page profile for Health
• NDKC annual Overview of children's well-being in North Dakota
• NDKC Inform Fact Sheets:
  • See Health Fact Sheets
    • Child and Teen Death Rates: Examining Our Most Preventable Losses (October 2006)
• Death Data are covered in the NDSDC fact sheets:
  • PRAM-O-GRAMs

Interactive Data Resources for Death Data:

• CLIKS
• Data Center
• National Survey of Children's Health
• Youth Risk Behavior Survey

Other Data on the Web:

• AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety
  • Reducing the Crash Risk for Young Drivers (including press release and PDF report)
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
  • National Center for Health Statistics
    • Health, United States, 2005 (PDF)
      • Table 46: Death rates for suicide, according to sex, race, Hispanic origin, and age: United States, selected years, 1950-2003
    • Self-Inflicted Injury/Suicide
  • National Center for Injury Prevention and Control
    • Injuries Among Children and Adolescents
    • Suicide
    • Teen Drivers
    • WISQARS interactive database
    • Youth Violence
• Child Trends DataBank
  • Death
    • Infant, Child and Youth Death Rates
    • Infant Homicide
    • Teen Homicide, Suicide, and Firearm Death
    • Motor Vehicle Deaths
  • Mental Health
    • Adolescents Who Feel Sad or Hopeless
    • Depressive Symptoms Among Young Adults
    • Suicidal Teens
• MADD
  • Stats and Resources
• National Institute of Mental Health
  • In Harm's Way: Suicide in America
  • Suicide Facts and Statistics
• North Dakota Department of Health
  • Division of Vital Records
• North Dakota Suicide Prevention Project
  • North Dakota Data
• Suicide Prevention Resource Center
  • North Dakota Suicide Prevention Fact Sheet