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http://www.hqsc.govt.nz/assets/CYMRC/Publications/cymrc-5th-report-chp3-

unintentional-Injury.pdf pg2 rates of death increase dramatically from the age of

14 onwards, especially for young men (see Figure 3.1). This change coincides with youngpeople becoming more independent from their parents, spending more time away from home,being exposed to more dangerous situations and taking more risks.A high proportion of the unintentional injury mortality among young people is due to risk-taking37and experimentation that are a normal part of growing up, as is argued by Dr SimonDennyThe ndings of these studies imply thatrisk-taking during adolescence is also embedded within the social and emotional environmentsyoung people nd themselves in. This means that while risk-reduction driver education may befeasible, education alone will do little to reduce youth risk-taking in the absence of a wider social-developmental approach.Risk taking often has other adverse health consequences such as alcohol and drug dependency,unsafe sexual activity, violence, and driving under the inuence of drugs or a lcohol. These behaviourscan have far reaching socia l consequences such as poor educational performance, unwantedpregnancy and criminal behaviour which impact on more than one generation (OECD 2009a).The OECD has suggested using the birth rate to mothers age 1519, the number of 15-year-oldswho smoke regularly and the number of 1315-year-olds who report having been drunk morethan twice as indicators of the level of risk taking in a community. Rates of youth suicide, deathfrom motor vehicle injuries, unplanned pregnancy and drug and alcohol use in New Zealand

continue to be among the highest in the Western world (Ministry of Health 2002; OECD 2009b).

Risk taking is deemed as active voluntary behaviours associated with heightened risk of injury or deathsuch as reckless use of alcohol, motor vehicles or natural hazards. Different types of risk-takingbehaviours tend to cluster.

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Almost one-quarter of adolescents haverecently been in a car driven by someone who was potentially drunk (Adolescent HealthResearch Group 2008a: 29). Alcohol is the most common drug used by New Zealandyouth, and binge drinking puts youth at risk for a number of poor outcomes.

Why are young peoplemost at risk for motor vehicle fatalities?

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by Dr Simon Denny, youth health physician at Kidz First Childrens Hospital in Auckland Driving is a dangerous activity for everyone, but it is particularly dangerous for young people.Young drivers (15 to 24 years old) are 3 to 4 times more likely to die in a motor vehicle crashthan older drivers. Young male drivers are particularly at risk, with almost twice the number ofyoung men dieing from motor vehicle crashes compared to young female drivers. Furthermore,newly licensed drivers (those in their rst six months of driving) are about eight times more likelyto be involved in fatal crashes than more experienced drivers (National Research Council et al2007). In New Zealand, 62% of crash deaths among 1519-year-olds are among drivers on theirrestricted or learner licence (Transport NZ 2008).

during the previous month, nearly one-quarter (24%) of students had been driven bysomeone driving dangerouslyduring the previous month, 23% of students rode in a car that was driven by someone whohad been drinking alcoholduring the previous month, 10% of 17-year-olds had driven a car after they had drunk morethan two glasses of alcohol in the two hours before drivingmore than one-quarter (26%) of students do not always wear a seatbelt when driving orbeing driven in a car.

Mortality dramatically increases after age fourteen; risk taking behaviour is a major contributingfactor. Risk taking substantially contributes to many different sorts of injury related deaths andhigh levels of non fatal injury. New Zealand has high levels of risky behaviour amongst youthpeople.It is inevitable that young people will take risks, it is a part of normal development.Communities need to ensure that learning opportunities and stimulating environments are

available where young people can explore and develop their physical, psychological andsocial skills without undue risk of injury.Environments where young people take risks and try out new experiences need to be assafe as possible and not isolated from all adult support and supervision.Parents need to recognise that friends are extremely important for young peoples healthydevelopment, but young people still need their parents support and guidance as theynavigate potentially unsafe situations that are exacerbated when they are with their friends.