Adolescent exposure to drink driving as a predictor of young adults’ drink driving

The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of exposure to others’ drink driving during adolescence on self-reported driving under the influence (DUI) of alcohol in young adulthood. Data were drawn from 1956 participants with a driving license enrolled in the International Youth Development Study from Victoria, Australia. During 2003 and 2004, adolescents in Grades 7, 9 and 10 (aged 12–17) completed questionnaires examining whether they had ridden in a vehicle with a driver who had been drinking, as well as other demographic, individual, peer and family risk factors for DUI. In 2010, the same participants (aged 18–24) then reported on their own DUI behaviour. 18% of young adults with a driving license reported DUI in the past 12 months. Exposure to others’ drink driving during adolescence was associated with an increased likelihood of DUI as a young adult (OR = 2.13, 95% CI 1.68–2.69). This association remained after accounting for the effects of other potential confounding factors from the individual, peer and family domains (OR = 1.62, 95% CI 1.23–2.13). Observing the drink driving behaviours of others during adolescence may increase the likelihood of DUI as a young adult. Strategies to reduce youth exposure to drink driving are warranted.     

The perceptions of young rural drivers in NSW,Australia of speeding and associated risk: A mixed methods study

The study, using mixed methodology, examined perceptions of risk associated with speeding in young rural people. Focus groups discussions (age range 16–24) in which speeding was identified as often being an involuntary driving behaviour, informed the development of a survey instrument. The survey was conducted with two groups of young people, one rural (n = 217) and another semi-rural (n = 235). The results from both the focus groups and surveys indicate that young rural drivers had specific attitudes to speeding, when compared with other risk factors for crashing. Speeding behaviour was viewed as both acceptable and inevitable. Males and those from a rural area viewed speeding, and reducing trip time when compared to that of a peer, to be less risky than did females and those who lived in a semi-rural area. Speeding was considered to be less risky than drink driving. These perceptions of speeding may contribute to the crash rates on rural roads involving young, local drivers and need to be considered in interventions or educational programmes which aim to reduce the rural road crash rate.     

Prevalence of texting while driving and other risky driving behaviors among young people in Ontario,Canada: Evidence from 2012 and 2014

This paper reports on the prevalence of texting while driving and other risky driving behaviors by age and gender in two large samples of youth aged 16–19 years in Ontario, Canada. In Study 1 (N = 6133), we found that males reported more frequent texting while driving and speeding than females and, in terms of age, sixteen year olds reported frequent texting while driving than older participants. In Study 2 (N = 4450), which was conducted two years later, males again reported more frequent texting while driving, however there was no difference in the rate of talking on the phone while driving among males and females. Participants also reported on experiences that led to a significant reduction in their texting while driving. The most common reasons were the perceived danger of texting while driving, laws and fines against texting while driving, and observing close-calls and accidents experienced by other people. The results of both studies suggest that driving-related risk-taking behaviors co-occur and that young passengers in vehicles, including 14 and 15 year olds, are bystanders to texting while driving. Finally, there was a substantial decline in the prevalence of texting while driving across the studies. In Study 1, 27% of participants reported “sometimes” to “almost always” texting while driving compared to 6% of participants in Study 2. Limitations and implications for public campaigns targeted youth distracted driving are discussed.     

The effect of a low and high resource intervention on older drivers’ knowledge,behaviors and risky driving

This study aimed to compare an in-class Seniors on the MOVE (Mature Operators Vehicular Education) interactive multi-session driving curriculum with a self-guided MOVE curriculum for older adults. Using a two group randomized design, we sought to determine if there are between-group differences in older drivers’ knowledge and safety behaviors among participants. Forty-four participants with an average age of 79 years (SD = 7.1) were randomly assigned to the original MOVE program (SOM-A) or a lower resource (SOM-B) self-guided intervention. SOM-A is a four session program designed to improve older drivers safety knowledge and better understand skills for safer driving. SOM-B is a self-guided program with one required in-class session and one optional session. Subsequent to completion of both curricula, participants were offered CarFit, a comprehensive check of how well a senior driver and their vehicle work together. Baseline, post-intervention and 6-month follow up questionnaires were completed by participants. We found significant differences (p = .01) in the mean driving safety knowledge scores when comparing participants in SOM-A (3.7, SD 2.0) to those in SOM-B (0.87, SD 2.6). With regard to behavioral outcomes, we focused on always wearing a seatbelt, talking with a health care provider about driving ability, and sitting 10–12 inches from the steering wheel. The vast majority of participants reported always wearing their seat belts (SOM-A 100%, SOM-B 92%, p = 1.0), and very few reported talking with their doctors (SOM-A Baseline – 0%, Follow up 1 – 0%, p = n/a). Mean behavior change scores for participants sitting 10–12 inches from the steering wheel were significantly more likely among SOM-A (mean = .65, SD = .5) participants than those in SOM-B (mean = .29, SD = .5, p = .01) at first follow-up. Taken together, these findings suggest that the more intensive program is more effective and that driving safety programs focused on behaviors to self evaluate driving abilities continue to be needed to help older drivers remain safer on the road as they age. The involvement of health care providers in such efforts may be an untapped potential.