NCJ Number
115998
Journal
Alcohol, Drugs and Driving Volume: 4 Issue: 3-4 Dated: (July-December 1988) Pages: 305-308
Date Published
1988
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This discussion focuses on the common themes and individual features of four papers that focused on factors related to risky driving behaviors and that were presented at a symposium on alcohol, drugs, and driving held in California in 1988.
Abstract
Dale Berger noted the inconsistencies between individual data and aggregate data regarding the decisions to drink and drive, with emphasis on the positive aggregate relationship between legal knowledge and legal compliance. Dr. Biecheler-Fretel focused on the habitual behavior of drivers and developed a taxonomy of stable driving patterns. Preusser's paper examined the decision to get a driver's license and the relationship between the age of licensure and accident involvement. Dr. Donahue examined reported seat belt use and suggested that drivers care most about the attributes of seat belts in decisions about belt use. Common features of the papers were their focus on risky behavior as a decision rather than as part of a lifestyle or a habit, their support for the importance of social and normative influences on driving behaviors and risk taking, and their focus on the role of law in avoidance of risky driving behaviors. The discussion concludes that risky driving should be considered as a multidimensional concept with at least three dimensions: driving behaviors that increase the risk of negative consequences, risk-taking as a personal trait or behavior, and perceived risk. 2 references.