Road safety risks in young people attending general practice: A cross-sectional study of road risks and associated health risks.

Background: Young people have a large burden of death and disease from risky road behaviours. Guidelines recommend injury prevention and harm minimisation counselling; however, little is known about road risks in youth attending primary care.

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the type of road risks and associated behaviours in young people attending general practice.

Methods: A cross-sectional analysis was undertaken on health risk survey data from a sample of 901 patients, aged 14-24 years, attending 40 Victorian general practices in a stratified cluster randomised trial.

Results: Frequently occurring road risks included travelling with people under the influence of alcohol or drugs (55%), speeding (43%) and mobile phone use (40%). These behaviours were strongly associated with other health risks, including use of tobacco, alcohol and illicit drugs, and unprotected sex.

Discussion: High proportions of youth attending general practice engage in road risks, making this a potential setting to discuss road risks along with broader health risk prevention activities.