According to the Insurance Business Journal, a recent report notes that 30% of teens involved in serious car crashes suffer head injuries, including concussion, skull fractures and traumatic brain injuries (TBI), new research from medical and insurance experts says.

While the report highlights a decline in teen driver-related fatalities over the past six years, researchers said crashes remain the leading cause of death for teens and kill nearly five times as many 15- to 19-year-olds as cancer or poisoning.

The study looked at crashes among more than 55,000 teen drivers and their passengers who were seriously injured each year in 2009 and 2010.

“Since full recovery from serious head injuries is often not achievable, there can be a significant life-long impact from these injuries on teens and their families,” said Dennis R Durbin, MD, MSCE, lead author of the report and co-scientific director for the Center for Injury Research and Prevention at CHOP. “The brain is the organ that is least able to heal, so prevention is the best medicine.”

Durbin said that programs focused on Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) and increasing seat belt use are proven effective strategies.