Friday, September 5, 2025
Science
No Result
View All Result
  • Login
  • HOME
  • SCIENCE NEWS
  • CONTACT US
  • HOME
  • SCIENCE NEWS
  • CONTACT US
No Result
View All Result
Scienmag
No Result
View All Result
Home Science News Social Science

Innovative modeling aims to curb teen drunken driving fatalities

July 22, 2024
in Social Science
Reading Time: 4 mins read
0
Niyousha Hosseinichimeh
65
SHARES
591
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
ADVERTISEMENT

Drunken driving claims 37 lives daily in the U.S. with teen and young adult drivers disproportionately involved. Niyousha Hosseinichimeh in the College of Engineering has partnered with researchers across the U.S. to create a simulation model — the first of its kind in adolescent drunken driving prevention — that examines how numerous public health interventions affect fatalities.

Niyousha Hosseinichimeh

Credit: Photo by Peter Means for Virginia Tech.

Drunken driving claims 37 lives daily in the U.S. with teen and young adult drivers disproportionately involved. Niyousha Hosseinichimeh in the College of Engineering has partnered with researchers across the U.S. to create a simulation model — the first of its kind in adolescent drunken driving prevention — that examines how numerous public health interventions affect fatalities.

Utilizing the simulation model, the team tested single intervention factors, such as increasing alternative transportation through both public or ride sharing services, enacting new restrictive laws across the U.S., and higher law enforcement presence. The model identified that the best way to reduce alcohol-related crashes among teens and young adults is not through a single measure, but a combined intervention strategy with three tenants: 

  • Enactment of a new restrictive law in 50 states, such as lowering the legal limits for blood alcohol content (BAC) while driving
  • Providing more alternative transportation
  • Higher enforcement, such as increased police presence or checkpoints on roadways

The team’s findings were recently published in the journal of Social Science & Medicine and underscores the importance of Hosseinichimeh’s unique mathematical modeling, which allows researchers to test multiple interventions and evaluate outcomes in real time to better address the complex public health and societal issue. 

Why it matters

Alcohol-impaired driving is influenced by numerous interconnected factors and long delays between actions and outcomes, complicating policymaking and increasing the risk of unintended consequences. Understanding these dynamics is crucial for crafting effective interventions.

“The system is very complex, and not a single discipline can provide an effective solution to reduce impaired driving,” Hosseinichimeh said. “We aim to provide policymakers with a better understanding of the potential impacts of their decisions.” 

Hosseinichimeh, assistant professor in the Grado Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, has partnered with Federico Vaca, a physician with the University of California, Irvine. Utilizing funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Hosseinichimeh, Vaca, and a team of researchers across disciplines set forth with the goal to understand why teens drink and drive. In their prior research published in 2022, they mapped out how factors such as peer influence, parental monitoring and alcohol advertising connect. They found prevention needed a multifactor approach, so Hosseinichimeh got to work on building a mathematical model. Research related to drunk driving prevention is abound, but utilzing modeling and systems engineering provides new perspectives.

“While there is extensive research related to alcohol impaired driving, using modeling and systems thinking offers a robust approach to understand the complex and often overlooked factors that influence this issue and can lead to negative outcomes,” Vaca said. 

Key insights

  • Innovative modeling: The team developed a system dynamics simulation model using  group modeling sessions with input from various health and safety experts. 
  • Prior research: Previous research from this study mapped complex causal outcomes and identified key feedback mechanisms that affect alcohol-impaired driving among adolescents and young adults. This mapping highlighted the systemic complexity contributing to the persistence of the problem, and researchers realized a more complex model was needed  to test interventions and see the results in real time. 
  • Data-driven analysis: The simulation model, calibrated with data such as FBI arrests, interviews from adolescent drivers, and national fatality information, accurately replicated historical trends for people ages 15 to 24.
  • Effective interventions: The research found that the most impactful solution was three pronged: implement new restrictive laws, increase police presence, and provide more alternative transportation. 
  • Future directions: Despite the success of combined interventions, fatalities plateau over time, highlighting the need for new strategies to ensure a sustained decline in alcohol-related deaths. The research team submitted a new proposal to NIH focusing on reducing BAC levels for selected individuals. Future projects will refine the models and test new interventions, aiming for a comprehensive solution to teen drinking and driving.

The bottom line

The highest percentage of alcohol-impaired drivers in fatal crashes was the 21- to 24-year-old age group, totaling 27 percent of all fatal crashes in 2021. By integrating diverse knowledge and expertise, Hosseinichimeh and her team are pioneering a systems engineering approach to address the complex issue of teen drinking and driving. Her mathematical model allows researchers to easily quantify a complex problem and understand potential outcomes related to policy decisions. The combination of the work not only highlights the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration, but also provides actionable insights for policymakers striving to make the roads, and young drivers, safer.



Journal

Social Science & Medicine

DOI

10.1016/j.soscimed.2024.117087

Article Title

Modeling of drinking and driving behaviors among adolescents and young adults in the United States: Complexities and Intervention outcomes

Article Publication Date

22-Jul-2024

Share26Tweet16
Previous Post

Wijesekera receives funding for FHWA driving simulator support research: Hands-on support for CDA/CARMA – ARCHER Integration Phase I

Next Post

SNIS 2024: Stroke risk linked to climate, financial and medical vulnerability, research shows

Related Posts

blank
Social Science

Preschool Teacher Burnout: Work Fatigue and Silence Linked

September 5, 2025
blank
Social Science

Rotman School Professor’s Research on Behaviorally Informed Organizations Named Finalist for SSHRC Impact Award

September 5, 2025
blank
Social Science

What Drives Young People to Purchase Loot Boxes in Video Games?

September 5, 2025
blank
Social Science

Cleaner Air, Natural Environments, Nutritious Diets, and Strong Social Connections Associated with Reduced Childhood Inflammation

September 5, 2025
blank
Social Science

What Sets Opera Singers Apart? New Study Unlocks the ‘Black Box’ of Opera Performance Evaluation

September 5, 2025
blank
Social Science

AI Achieves Human-Like Understanding of Social Situations

September 5, 2025
Next Post

SNIS 2024: Stroke risk linked to climate, financial and medical vulnerability, research shows

  • Mothers who receive childcare support from maternal grandparents show more parental warmth, finds NTU Singapore study

    Mothers who receive childcare support from maternal grandparents show more parental warmth, finds NTU Singapore study

    27544 shares
    Share 11014 Tweet 6884
  • University of Seville Breaks 120-Year-Old Mystery, Revises a Key Einstein Concept

    959 shares
    Share 384 Tweet 240
  • Bee body mass, pathogens and local climate influence heat tolerance

    643 shares
    Share 257 Tweet 161
  • Researchers record first-ever images and data of a shark experiencing a boat strike

    510 shares
    Share 204 Tweet 128
  • Warm seawater speeding up melting of ‘Doomsday Glacier,’ scientists warn

    313 shares
    Share 125 Tweet 78
Science

Embark on a thrilling journey of discovery with Scienmag.com—your ultimate source for cutting-edge breakthroughs. Immerse yourself in a world where curiosity knows no limits and tomorrow’s possibilities become today’s reality!

RECENT NEWS

  • Advancements in Photocatalysis for Pollution Cleanup
  • New Study Reveals Rapid Insect Decline in Pristine Ecosystems
  • Scientists Uncover Vast Geo-Hydrogen Reservoir West of Mussau Trench
  • Unveiling North America’s Influence on Asia’s Monsoons: New Perspectives on Climate Change

Categories

  • Agriculture
  • Anthropology
  • Archaeology
  • Athmospheric
  • Biology
  • Blog
  • Bussines
  • Cancer
  • Chemistry
  • Climate
  • Earth Science
  • Marine
  • Mathematics
  • Medicine
  • Pediatry
  • Policy
  • Psychology & Psychiatry
  • Science Education
  • Social Science
  • Space
  • Technology and Engineering

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 5,183 other subscribers

© 2025 Scienmag - Science Magazine

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • HOME
  • SCIENCE NEWS
  • CONTACT US

© 2025 Scienmag - Science Magazine

Discover more from Science

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading