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The authors of the article “Risk Factors for Death Among Older Child and Teenaged Motor Vehicle Passengers”1 have done a great service in pointing out the high risk that cars pose to young children and teenagers. They conclude their article by advising parents to monitor young drivers and to counsel children about the hazards of being a passenger in a car starting at as young as 11 years of age. This ignores a more effective course of action: reducing the amount of time children spend in automobiles.
While urban and suburban planning may be outside the authors' original purview, a more effective prescription would involve better-arranged communities, where young people are not forced to drive as a condition of their everyday lives. Reducing exposure to driving would cut crash risks and address the epidemic of obesity, which is another major risk factor for young people today. Our environment is a huge medical factor, and one would hope to see more physicians address this directly. To start by saying that walkable communities are healthier—and formally studying this possibility—would be a great service.
Correspondence: Mr McGettigan, Trophy Bikes, 3131 Walnut St, Philadelphia, PA 19104 (mcget@aol.com).
Financial Disclosure: None reported.
Additional Information: Mr McGettigan is a past board member of the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia and a League of American Cyclists–certified Effective Cycling Instructor. He is the owner of Trophy Bikes.
Country-Specific Mortality and Growth Failure in Infancy and Yound Children and Association With Material Stature
Use interactive graphics and maps to view and sort country-specific infant and early dhildhood mortality and growth failure data and their association with maternal
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