London, July 19 (ANI): Previous evidence has shown that car crashes are more common in older drivers, mostly those over 65.
Now, forget that preconceived notion as a new study has revealed that children are safer in cars being driven by their grandparents than by their parents.
Researchers at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia found that the risk of injury to children in crashes was 50 percent lower when grandparents were behind the wheel.
"We were surprised to discover that the injury rate was considerably lower in crashes where grandparents were the drivers," the Daily Mail quoted lead researcher Dr Fred Henretig as saying.
The researchers studied claims by a US insurance firm, covering nearly 12,000 children up to age 15 in motor vehicle crashes from 2003 to 2007 in 15 states, and telephone interviews with drivers.
Only about 10 percent of children in the study were driven by grandparents, but they suffered proportionately fewer injuries.
Overall, 1.05 percent of children were injured when riding with parents, compared to 0.70 percent of those riding with grandparents, or a 33 percent lower risk.
The difference was even more pronounced - 50 percent - when the researchers took into account other things that could influence injury rates, including not using car seats, and older-model cars.
They speculate that the reasons for the unexpected findings might be quite simple.
"Perhaps grandparents are made more nervous about the task of driving with the 'precious cargo' of their grandchildren and establish more cautious driving habits to compensate for any age-related challenges," the researchers wrote.
The average age of the grandparents in the survey was 58.
The study is published in the journal Pediatrics. (ANI)
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