Counseling about Proper Use of Motor Vehicle Occupant Restraints and Avoidance of Alcohol Use while Driving: U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement

7 August 2007 | Volume 147 Issue 3 | Pages 187-193

Description: An assessment of the independent effectiveness of primary care interventions to increase the proper use of child safety seats, booster seats, and lap-and-shoulder belts to prevent motor vehicle occupant injuries (MVOIs) and to prevent alcohol-related MVOIs in adolescents and adults.

Methods: The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force reviewed evidence on the effectiveness of counseling in primary care about the proper use of child restraints in motor vehicles to prevent injury, as well as evidence on the impact of primary care counseling to prevent alcohol-related MVOIs in adolescents and adults. This included information gathered in the process of making their 1996 recommendation, as well as the accompanying systematic review of English-language articles published through 2005.

Recommendation: Current evidence is insufficient to assess the incremental benefits, beyond the efficacy of legislation and community-based interventions, of counseling in the primary care setting to improve rates of proper use of motor vehicle occupant restraints. (I statement)

Current evidence is insufficient to assess the balance of benefits and harms of routine counseling of all patients in the primary care setting to reduce driving while under the influence of alcohol or riding with drivers who are alcohol-impaired. (I statement)

*For a list of members of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Forces, see the Appendix.

Author and Article Information

From the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, Maryland.

Disclaimer: Recommendations made by the USPSTF are independent of the U.S. government. They should not be construed as an official position of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Financial Support: While the USPSTF is an independent, voluntary body, the Task Force receives financial support for its operations from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

Potential Financial Conflicts of Interest: None disclosed.

Requests for Single Reprints: Reprints are available from the USPSTF Web site (http://www.preventiveservices.ahrq.gov).