NCJ Number
115990
Journal
Alcohol, Drugs and Driving Volume: 4 Issue: 3-4 Dated: (July-December 1988) Pages: 193-219
Date Published
1988
Length
27 pages
Annotation
This paper examines the etiological significance of social, psychological, and behavioral factors in accident involvement and risky driving among youth.
Abstract
The analysis used cross-sectional data from the first year of a study that gathered data from 1,986 students in grades 9, 10, and 11 in 1987. The students were all from the Ottawa area of Ontario, Canada. They ranged in age from 12 to 19, with a median age of 15. Fifty-four percent of the students aged 16 and over had a driver's license or learner's permit. The data were used to identify the psychosocial factors that distinguish youth who become involved in motor vehicle accidents from those who do not and to examine the lifestyle correlates of risky driving behavior among young adults. Results showed that youths who had been involved in an accident as a driver or as a passenger while riding with a young driver showed a number of other high-risk or problem behaviors. Motor vehicle accidents appeared to be associated with a more comprehensive lifestyle that included a variety of high-risk and health-compromising behaviors such as smoking, drug use, and heavy drinking. Youths who had not been involved in accidents were more likely to be concerned with their own health and well-being and were less likely to engage in high risk activities. Variables from Problem Behavior Theory also accounted for a substantial part of the variance in self-reported risky driving behaviors such as intentional risk driving, seat belt use, and impaired driving. Nevertheless, many youths express their risk-taking tendencies in ways other than risky driving. Further research is needed to determining whether efforts to reduce risky driving should focus on suppression of all risk taking or merely on the redirection of risk-taking tendencies. Tables and 6 references. (Author abstract modified)