Vehicle ownership and other predictors of teenagers risky driving behavior: Evidence from a naturalistic driving study. (September 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Gershon, Pnina; Ehsani, Johnathon; Zhu, Chunming; O'Brien, Fearghal; Klauer, Sheila; Dingus, Tom; Simons-Morton, Bruce
• Is Part Of: Accident analysis and prevention. Volume 118(2018)
• Page Start: 96
• Page End: 101
• Publication Date: 2018-09
• Subjects: Kinematic risky driving (KRD) -- Vehicle ownership -- Naturalistic driving -- Graduated driver licensing (GDL); Accidents -- Prevention -- Periodicals; Accident Prevention -- Periodicals; Accidents -- Prévention -- Périodiques; 363.106
• DOI: 10.1016/j.aap.2018.06.001
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0001-4575

Abstract

Highlights: The study evaluated associations between driving environment, psychosocial characteristics and risky driving behavior of the teenage drivers. Interactions between vehicle ownership and passenger presence, and between ownership and time were associated with risky driving behavior. Results indicate that teenagers' risky driving behavior is contextual and should be studied within a broad prospective and variable context. The complexity and multifaceted nature of teenagers' driving behavior call for multi-level and coordinated interventions. Abstract: Objective: Risky driving behavior may contribute to the high crash risk among teenage drivers. The current naturalistic driving study assessed predictors for teenagers' kinematic risky driving (KRD) behavior and the interdependencies between them. Method: The private vehicles of 81 novice teenage drivers were equipped with data acquisition system that recorded driving kinematics, miles driven, and video recordings of the driver, passengers and the driving environment. Psychosocial measures were collected using questionnaires administered at licensure. Poisson regression analyses and model selection were used to assess factors associated with teens' risky driving behavior and the interactions between them. Results: Driving own vs shared vehicle, driving during the day vs at night, and driving alone vs with passengers were significantly associated with higher KRD rates (Incidence rate ratios (IRRs) of 1.60, 1.41, and 1.28, respectively). Teenagers reporting higher vs lower levels of parental trust had significantly lower KRD rates (IRR = 0.58). KRD rates were 88% higher among teenagers driving with a passenger in their own vehicle compared to teenagers driving with a passenger in a shared vehicle. Similarly, KRD rates during the day were 74% higher among teenagers driving their own vehicle compared to those driving a shared vehicle. Conclusions: Novice teenagers' risky driving behavior varied according to driver attributes and contextual aspects of the driving environment. As such, examining teenagers' risky driving behavior should take into account multiple contributing factors and their interactions. The variability in risky driving according to the driving context can inform the development of targeted interventions to reduce the crash risk of novice teenage drivers.