Dear Editor

While the authors findings [1] illustrate that the Checkpoints Program is an effective tool in the parental restriction of teen driving, one must not overlook the fact that that there is no difference between the safety of novice drivers in the intervention group versus the control group. As the authors report, the levels of tickets and crashes are the same at months four and nine for both groups, raising questions as to the purpose of increased parental restrictions on driving.

I commend the authors in finding an effective method to increase parent-teen communication and understanding: such dialogue is always a desireable goal, particularly in a matter with such gravity as driving. Despite this positive indication, however, the advocacy of increased controls when such limitations prove insignificant in improving road safety is questionable.

Reference

(1) BG Simons-Morton, JL Hartos, KH Beck. Persistence of effects of a brief intervention on parental restrictions of teen driving privileges. Inj Prev 2003;9:142-146.