Transportation Risk Behaviors Among High School Students — Youth Risk Behavior Survey, United States, 2019

Yellman, Merissa A.; Bryan, Leah; Erin K. Sauber‐Schatz; Brener, Nancy D. · 2020 · OpenAlex-citations

DOI: 10.15585/mmwr.su6901a9

archive: archived pipeline: cataloged verified

Get this paper ↗ (DOI — opens at the source; we link to it, we don't host it)

Summary

This study analyzes transportation risk behaviors among U.S. high school students to inform prevention strategies, addressing the significant burden of motor-vehicle crashes which remain a leading cause of adolescent death and injury. Using data from the 2019 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS), a nationally representative cross-sectional survey of students in grades 9–12, the authors examined the prevalence of four specific risk behaviors: not always wearing a seat belt, riding with a drinking driver, driving after drinking alcohol, and texting or e-mailing while driving. The analysis included unadjusted weighted prevalence estimates and multivariable logistic regression models controlling for age, sex, race/ethnicity, academic grades, and sexual identity to assess associations between these behaviors. The results indicate that 43.1% of students did not always wear a seat belt, and 16.7% rode with a drinking driver in the 30 days prior to the survey. Among the 59.9% of students who drove during this period, 5.4% drove after drinking alcohol and 39.0% texted or e-mailed while driving. Prevalence varied by demographic characteristics: not wearing a seat belt was more common among younger, Black, and lower-achieving students. Riding with a drinking driver was higher among Hispanic students and those with lower grades. Driving after drinking alcohol increased with age and was more prevalent among males, Hispanic students, and those with lower grades. Texting while driving increased with age and was more common among White students. Few differences were observed by sexual identity. Multivariable analyses revealed strong associations between risk behaviors; students engaging in one behavior were significantly more likely to engage in others. Notably, students who drove after drinking alcohol were nearly 13 times more likely to have texted while driving and nearly 5 times more likely to have ridden with a drinking driver compared to those who did not drive after drinking. Students who did not always wear a seat belt were 2.73 times more likely to have driven after drinking alcohol. These findings suggest that transportation risk behaviors cluster together, particularly those involving alcohol. The study concludes that targeted interventions are necessary, as risk profiles differ by age, race/ethnicity, and academic achievement. The strong correlation between alcohol-related risks and other unsafe behaviors highlights the need for comprehensive strategies, such as leveraging existing school programs to address multiple risks simultaneously. The authors recommend continuing effective policies like zero-tolerance laws, graduated driver licensing, and primary enforcement seat belt laws, while noting that technological interventions may be required to address the persistent issue of texting while driving.

Provenance

The full processing record for this entry. Every stage of this paper's journey through the pipeline is logged — what ran, with which tool and model, how many attempts it took, and when it last completed.

Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant on 2026-06-26; verification: verified.

Topics

Ranked by relevance to this paper. Hover a topic for its definition.

• passenger effects
• sex gender
• demographic disparities

Information type

What kind of knowledge this paper contributes, grouped by family — independent of topic (what it is about) and method (how it was studied).

• Empirical Findings: observational prevalence