Examining the Effect of Social Influence on Young Drivers' Behavior. (September 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Zhang, Fangda; Mehrotra, Shashank; Roberts, Shannon C.
• Is Part Of: Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society ... Annual Meeting. Volume 62:Part 1(2018)
• Page Start: 1394
• Page End: 1398
• Publication Date: 2018-09
• Subjects: Human engineering -- Congresses; 620.8205
• DOI: 10.1177/1541931218621318
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1541-9312

Abstract

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for 15 to 20-year olds. Young/novice drivers have long been thought to be vulnerable to the impact of peer passengers, and thus have a higher crash risk. It has been proven that perceived risky behavior of close friends was the best psychosocial predictor of risk. Additionally, young drivers (18-20 years) have the highest involvement in distraction-related crashes. The goal of this study was to examine the effect of social influence and driver distraction on young drivers' behavior. Twenty-four pairs of participants took part in the study. Participants drove in pairs and by themselves while completing four distraction tasks. Results showed that the presence of a passenger did not show statistical significance related to drivers' behavior. However, other social influence factors did significantly impact drivers' behavior, including stimulating companionship, type of friendship, and their interactions.