Health care utilization and charges following the enactment of the 2007 Graduated Drivers Licensing Law in Massachusetts

BackgroundGraduated Drivers Licensing (GDL) programs phase in driving privileges for teenagers. In 2007, Massachusetts implemented a stricter version of the 1998 GDL law, with increased fines and education. This study evaluated the impact of the law on motor vehicle crash (MVC)-related health care utilization and charges.MethodsMassachusetts government and US Census Bureau data were analyzed to compare the rates of MVC-related emergency department (ED) visits and hospital charges before (2002–2006) and after (2007–2011) the 2007 GDL law. Three driver age groups were studied: 16–17 (evaluating the law effect), 18–20 (evaluating the sustainability of the effect), and 25–29 years old (control group).ResultsMVC-related ED visits per population decreased after the law for all three age groups (16–17: 2326 to 713; 18–20: 2110 to 1304; 25–29: 1694 to 1228; per 100,000, p < 0.001), but the decrease was greater amongst teenagers (16–17: − 69%; 18–20: − 38%) compared to the control group (− 27%); p < 0.001.MVC-related hospital charges per population also decreased for teenagers but increased for the control group (16–17: $2.70 m to $1.45 m; 18–20: $3.52 m to $2.26 m; 25–29: $1.86 m to $1.92 m; per 100,000, p < 0.001).ConclusionsThe 2007 GDL law in Massachusetts was associated with significant decreases in MVC-related health care utilization and hospital charges among teenage drivers.