Validation of the Behaviour of Young Novice Drivers Scale (BYNDS) in a New Zealand young driver population

The Behaviour of Young Novice Drivers Scale, the BYNDS (Scott-Parker et al., 2010), is a reliable and valid self-report 44-item instrument which explores the frequency of a breadth of risky driving behaviours which appear to place young and novice drivers at an increased risk of road crash injury. As part of a larger collaborative research project, the Australian-developed BYNDS was piloted in a sample of 20 young New Zealand drivers n = 14 aged 16–18 years, 9 males; n = 6 aged 19–24 years, 2 males. The wording of 21 BYNDS items was modified to reflect the cultural context of the participating New Zealand drivers. The refined BYNDS was applied in a sample of 325 young drivers n = 116 aged 16–18 years, 65 males; n = 209 aged 19–24 years, 98 males, and the factor structure examined, including exploratory factor analysis for each gender. The 5-factor structure of the BYNDS was supported, with young drivers reporting considerable engagement in risky driving exposure, moderate engagement in transient violations and mood-related driving, and less fixed violations and driving misjudgements. Risky driving exposure was predictive of self-reported crash involvement for both males and females, suggesting targeted intervention regarding when, and the circumstances under which, the young driver is on the road.     

Young novice drivers and the risky behaviours of parents and friends during the Provisional (intermediate) licence phase: A brief report

Purpose

While there is research indicating that many factors influence the young novice driver's increased risk of road crash injury during the earliest stages of their independent driving, there is a need to further understand the relationship between the perceived risky driving behaviour of parents and friends and the risky behaviour of drivers with a Provisional (intermediate) licence.

Method

As part of a larger research project, 378 drivers aged 17–25 years (M = 18.22, SD = 1.59, 113 males) with a Provisional licence completed an online survey exploring the perceived riskiness of their parents’ and friends’ driving, and the extent to which they pattern (i.e. base) their driving behaviour on the driving of their parents and friends.

Results

Young drivers who reported patterning their driving on their friends, and who reported they perceived their friends to be risky drivers, reported more risky driving. The risky driving behaviour of young male drivers was associated with the perceived riskiness of their fathers’ driving, whilst for female drivers the perceived riskiness of their mothers’ driving approached significance.

Conclusions

The development and application of countermeasures targeting the risky behaviour of same-sex parents appears warranted by the robust research findings. In addition, countermeasures need to encourage young people in general to be non-risky drivers; targeting the negative influence of risky peer groups specifically. Social norms interventions may minimise the influence of potentially-overestimated riskiness.     

The multidimensional driving style inventory a decade later: Review of the literature and re-evaluation of the scale

The Multidimensional Driving Style Inventory (MDSI; Taubman - Ben-Ari, Mikulincer, & Gillath, 2004a), a self-report questionnaire assessing four broad driving styles, has been in use for the last ten years. During that time, numerous studies have explored the associations between the MDSI factors and sociodemographic and driving-related variables. The current paper employs two large data sets to summarize the accumulated knowledge, examining MDSI factors in samples of young drivers aged 17–21 (Study 1, n = 1436) and older drivers aged 22–84 (Study 2, n = 3409). Findings indicate that driving-related indicators are coherently and systematically related to the four driving styles in the expected directions, revalidating the structure of the MDSI. The results also help clarify the relationships between the driving styles and variables such as gender, ethnicity, car ownership, age, and experience, and suggest that driving styles are largely unaffected by sociodemographic characteristics, except for gender and ethnicity, and appear to represent a relatively stable and universal trait. The two studies highlight the validity and reliability of the MDSI, attesting to its practical value as a tool for purposes of research, evaluation, and intervention.     

The role of risk-propensity in the risky driving of younger drivers

Young drivers are over-represented in road injury statistics, partly because they engage in more risky driving than older people. Although it is assumed that younger people have greater risk-propensity, defined as a positive attitude to risk, relevant theory is imprecise and relevant research is clouded by inappropriate measures. 89 participants aged 16-25 and 110 participants aged over 35 were recruited outside motor registries. Participants completed a battery of questionnaires including Rohrmann’s [Rohrmann, B. 2004. Risk attitude scales: concepts and questionnaires. Project report. Available at http://www.rohrmannresearch.net/pdfs/rohrmann-racreport.pdf (last accessed 12th February 2008)] measures of risk-aversion, risk-propensity, and risk-related motives for risky driving, as well as measures of risk-perception and risky driving. Compared to older drivers, younger drivers demonstrated lower risk-aversion, and higher propensity for taking accident risks, as well as stronger motives for risky driving in relation to experience-seeking, excitement, sensation-seeking, social influence, prestige-seeking, confidence/familiarity, underestimation of risk, irrelevance of risk, “letting off steam”, and “getting there quicker”. Further, these variables were associated with risky driving. Some evidence was observed for the possibility that risk propensity moderates the relationship between perceived risk and risky behaviour. These results suggest approaches to targeting the “young driver problem”.     

Thrill and Adventure Seeking as a modifier of the relationship of perceived risk with risky driving among young drivers

Risky driving contributes to road trauma, a leading cause of mortality among young people. Health-relevant behaviour models suggest a negative relationship between risky driving and perceived risk of its outcomes. However, high sensation seekers may value the “thrill” of the risk, and positive associations between sensation seeking and risky driving have been observed. This is the first study to examine whether aspects of sensation seeking modify the relationship between perceived risk and risky driving. Young drivers in metropolitan Sydney and rural New South Wales [NSW] (n = 797) completed a survey relating to one of the four risky driving behaviours (speeding, drink-driving, driving while fatigued, and failing to wear a seatbelt). Results suggest that the Thrill and Adventure Seeking subscale of Zuckerman's (1994) Sensation Seeking Scale moderate the relationship of perceived risk with risky driving – indicating a negative relationship for low-scores, but not high-scorers, on the TAS subscale. Thus, road safety campaigns that emphasize the riskiness of a particular behaviour may be of limited benefit to thrill and adventure seekers.     

Measuring errors and violations on the road: A bifactor modeling approach to the Driver Behavior Questionnaire

The Driver Behavior Questionnaire (DBQ) is a self-report measure of driving behavior that has been widely used over more than 20 years. Despite this wealth of evidence a number of questions remain, including understanding the correlation between its violations and errors sub-components, identifying how these components are related to crash involvement, and testing whether a DBQ based on a reduced number of items can be effective. We address these issues using a bifactor modeling approach to data drawn from the UK Cohort II longitudinal study of novice drivers. This dataset provides observations on 12,012 drivers with DBQ data collected at .5, 1, 2 and 3 years after passing their test. A bifactor model, including a general factor onto which all items loaded, and specific factors for ordinary violations, aggressive violations, slips and errors fitted the data better than correlated factors and second-order factor structures. A model based on only 12 items replicated this structure and produced factor scores that were highly correlated with the full model. The ordinary violations and general factor were significant independent predictors of crash involvement at 6 months after starting independent driving. The discussion considers the role of the general and specific factors in crash involvement.     

Parental influence on adolescent compliance with graduated driver licensing conditions and crashes as a restricted licensed driver: New Zealand Drivers Study

Aim

To examine the influence of parental knowledge of, and support for graduated driver licensing (GDL) conditions, parental management of adolescent driving and parental driving behaviour on adolescent compliance with GDL conditions and crashes as a restricted licence driver.

Method

This research was part of the New Zealand Drivers Study (NZDS), a prospective cohort study of 3992 newly licensed car drivers. NZDS participants were recruited at the learner licence stage, with follow-up aligned with the GDL stages. At the restricted licence stage 1200 parents of NZDS adolescents, aged 15–17 years at learner licensure, were recruited and completed interviews. 895 of these adolescents progressed to their full licence and completed the full licence interview. These 895 parent–adolescent pairs were the study population in this research. Topics examined included parental knowledge of, and support for GDL conditions, management of adolescent driving (driving rules, adolescent vehicle ownership, delaying licensure), and their own driving behaviours. Outcomes examined were adolescent compliance with GDL restricted licence conditions (night-time and passenger), and crashes as a driver during the restricted licence stage.

Results

After controlling for other variables, factors independently associated with adolescent low compliance with GDL conditions were: low parental knowledge of conditions, parents’ implementing few driving rules, adolescent vehicle ownership, and parent crash involvement. Factors independently associated with adolescents being a crash involved driver were: parents’ actively delaying licensure, adolescent vehicle ownership, and parent crash involvement.

Conclusion

There is increasing recognition of the importance of parental involvement in adolescent driving. The results show that parents are influential in determining adolescent compliance with GDL and risk of crash. Parents can have considerable positive influence on their adolescent's driving through ensuring compliance with the components of GDL, limiting vehicle ownership and by modelling safe driving behaviours.     

Re-conceptualising the reckless driving behaviour of young drivers

Reckless driving is a major contributing factor to road morbidity and mortality. While further research into the nature and impact of reckless driving, particularly among young people, is urgently needed, the measurement of reckless driving behaviour also requires increased attention. Three major shortcomings apparent in established measures of driver behaviour are that they do not target the full range of reckless driving behaviours, they measure characteristics other than driving behaviours, and/or they fail to categorise and label reckless driver behaviour based on characteristics of the behaviours themselves. To combat these shortcomings, this paper reports the development and preliminary validation of a new measure of reckless driving behaviour for young drivers. Exploratory factor analysis of self-reported driving data revealed four, conceptually distinct categories of reckless driving behaviour: those that increase crash-risk due to (a) distractions or deficits in perception, attention or reaction time (labelled “distracted”), (b) driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol (labelled “substance-use”), (c) placing the vehicle in an unsafe environment beyond its design expectations (labelled “extreme”), and (d) speed and positioning of the vehicle relative to other vehicles and objects (labelled “positioning”). Confirmatory factor analysis of data collected from a separate, community sample confirmed this four-factor structure. Multiple regression analyses found differences in the demographic and psychological variables related to these four factors, suggesting that interventions in one reckless driving domain may not be helpful in others.     

Factors affecting stability and change in risky driving from late adolescence to the late twenties

The risky driving tendencies of young drivers has been extensively researched, but much less is known about across-time patterns of risky driving behavior and the factors which influence these. This study identified factors associated with stable, increasing and decreasing risky driving trajectories among 751 Australian drivers participating in an ongoing longitudinal study. Five groups were formed on the basis of participants’ patterns of risky driving from 19–20 to 27–28 years (i.e., stable low-risk, stable speeding, stable high-risk, increasing and decreasing). Very few participants exhibited a stable high-risk pattern. Characteristics that differentiated the different across-time groups were identified using Multinomial Logistic Regression. The most consistent correlates of risky driving patterns were antisocial behavior, binge drinking and relationship status. Sex, school completion, temperament, civic engagement, and antisocial peer friendships were also correlated with different across-time patterns. The implications of these findings for road safety are discussed.     

Parents’ perceptions of the family climate for road safety

The current study examined the applicability of the Family Climate for Road Safety Scale (FCRSS; Taubman-Ben-Ari and Katz-Ben-Ami, 2013) to the parents of young drivers. The sample consisted of 549 parents and 234 of their children, all of whom completed the FCRSS. In addition, the parents completed the multidimensional driving style inventory (MDSI; Taubman-Ben-Ari et al., 2004) and provided background data (e.g., age, gender). Confirmatory factor analysis supported a slightly modified structure of the scale for parents. Examination of the correlations revealed significant weak to strong associations between parents’ scores on the various FCRSS dimensions on the one hand, and their self-reported driving styles and offspring’s perceptions of the family climate for safety on the other. The findings indicate that the FCRSS is suitable for use with the parents of young drivers, and that perceptions of the family climate are shared by the two generations. Furthermore, they show that family climate is related to parents’ customary driving behavior, with the careful driving style positively related to the positive dimensions of the FCRSS. The discussion stresses the importance of the parents’ influence on the manner in which their children drive, and the multifaceted nature of this influence. Moreover, it indicates the potential value of the FCRSS, both for research and for designing interventions and measuring their effectiveness.     

道路安全的家庭氛围量表的修订及信效度检验

目的检验修订版道路安全的家庭氛围量表在我国驾驶员测量中的信度和效度。方法使用修订版道路安全的家庭氛围量表和驾驶风格量表,对321名驾驶员进行测量。结果修订后的道路安全的家庭氛围量表由36个题目组成,分为反馈、无安全承诺、榜样、监控、限制、沟通6个维度,累计方差解释率为58.84%。量表总的内部一致性系数是0.92,量表各因素与总分的相关系数在0.52~0.86之间,且相关显著。量表各维度与驾驶风格量表各维度之间的相关显著,说明量表的相容效度较好。结论修订后的道路安全的家庭氛围量表信效度良好,可以用来测量我国驾驶员对道路安全的家庭氛围的认知。     

驾驶行为量表(中国版)的制订及信效度检验

目的检验中文版驾驶行为量表(Driving Behavior Scale,DBS)在国内驾驶员群体中的信度、效度和适用性。方法采用中文版驾驶行为量表对360名驾驶员进行了测量,获得328份有效问卷,通过项目分析和因素分析,形成最终中文版量表。结果量表共有21个题目,分为3个维度:过度的安全/谨慎行为、驾驶功能缺陷和敌意/攻击行为。累计方差解释率为62.48%。量表的内部一致性系数为0.86,各个因素的内部一致性系数在0.81-0.93之间,P均0.001。修订后中文版驾驶行为量表各维度与驾驶安全态度量表各维度之间显著相关。这说明该量表的相容效度良好。结论最终中文版驾驶行为量表信效度良好,能够可靠而有效的测量国内焦虑驾驶行为。     

Young driver accidents in the UK: the influence of age, experience, and time of day

Young drivers, especially males, have relatively more accidents than other drivers. Young driver accidents also have somewhat different characteristics to those of other drivers; they include single vehicle accidents involving loss of control; excess speed for conditions; accidents during darkness; accidents on single carriageway rural roads; and accidents while making cross-flow turns (i.e. turning right in the UK, equivalent to a left turn in the US and continental Europe). A sample of over 3000 accident cases was considered from midland British police forces, involving drivers aged 17-25 years, and covering a two year period. Four types of accident were analysed: right-turns; rear-end shunts; loss of control on curves; and accidents in darkness. Loss of control on curves and accidents in darkness were found to be a particular problem for younger drivers. It was found that cross-flow turn accidents showed the quickest improvement with increasing driver experience, whereas accidents occurring in darkness with no street lighting showed the slowest rate of improvement. 'Time of day' analyses suggested that the problems of accidents in darkness are not a matter of visibility, but a consequence of the way young drivers use the roads at night. There appears to be a large number of accidents associated with voluntary risk-taking behaviours of young drivers in 'recreational' driving.     

Age and gender differences in risky driving: the roles of positive affect and risk perception

A phone survey of 504 teen (age 16–20) and 409 adult (age 25–45) drivers in the US state of Alabama was conducted to examine the relationships among risk perception, positive affect and risky driving. Male drivers reported engaging in risky driving behaviors more frequently than female drivers and teen drivers reported engaging in risky driving behaviors more frequently than adult drivers. Positive affect (liking for risky driving behaviors) and perceived risk mediated the relationships of age and gender with risky driving. Affect and risk perception were independent predictors of risky driving behavior. Interactions of positive affect and perceived risk with gender and age showed that positive affect more strongly predicted risky driving for teen and male drivers than for adult and female drivers. These findings are interpreted in the context of dual process models of behavioral decision making. Future research into interventions designed to moderate the positive affect surrounding driving may have promise for reducing risky driving behavior.     

Pre-licensed driving experience and car crash involvement during the learner and restricted,licence stages of graduated driver licensing: Findings from the New Zealand Drivers Study

Objective

The aim of this study was to determine whether pre-licence driving experiences, that is driving before beginning the licensing process, increased or decreased crash risk as a car driver, during the learner or the restricted licence stages of the graduated driver licensing system (GDLS).

Method

Study participants were 15–24 year old members of the New Zealand Drivers Study (NZDS) – a prospective cohort study of newly licensed car drivers. The interview stages of the NZDS are linked to, the three licensing stages of the GDLS: learner, restricted and full. Baseline demographic (age, ethnicity, residential location, deprivation), personality (impulsivity, sensation seeking, aggression) and, behavioural data, (including pre-licensed driving behaviour), were obtained at the learner licence interview. Data on distance driven and crashes that occurred at the learner licence and restricted licence stages, were reported at the restricted and full licence interviews, respectively. Crash data were also obtained from police traffic crash report files and this was combined with the self-reported crash data. The analysis of the learner licence stage crashes, when only supervised driving is allowed, was based on the participants who had passed the restricted licence test and undertaken the NZDS, restricted licence interview (n = 2358). The analysis of the restricted licence stage crashes, when unsupervised driving is first allowed, was based on those who had passed the full licence test and completed the full licence interview (n = 1428).

Results

After controlling for a range of demographic, personality, behavioural variables and distance driven, Poisson regression showed that the only pre-licence driving behaviour that showed a consistent relationship with subsequent crashes was on-road car driving which was associated with an increased risk of being the driver in a car crash during the learner licence period.

Conclusion

This research showed that pre-licensed driving did not reduce crash risk among learner or restricted licensed drivers, and in some cases (such as on-road car driving) may have increased risk. Young people should be discouraged from the illegal behaviour of driving a car on-road before licensing.     

The influence of anger,impulsivity, sensation seeking and driver attitudes on risky driving behaviour among post-graduate university students in Durban,South Africa

Introduction

Road traffic accidents (RTAs) constitute a serious global health risk, and evidence suggests that young drivers are significantly overrepresented among those injured or killed in RTAs. This study explores the role of anger, impulsivity, sensation seeking and driver attitudes as correlates for risky driving practices among drivers, drawing comparisons between age and gender.

Method

The study used a cross-sectional survey design, with a sample of 306 post-graduate university students from two universities in Durban, South Africa, who completed the self-administered questionnaire.

Results

The results indicate that drivers with higher driver anger, sensation seeking, urgency, and with a lack of premeditation and perseverance in daily activities were statistically more likely to report riskier driving acts. Males reported significantly more acts of risky driving behaviour (RDB) than females. Driver attitudes significantly predicted self-reported acts of RDB on most indicators. Older drivers (25 years and older) had safer driver attitudes and a lower sense of sensation seeking and urgency in life.

Conclusion

Interventions targeting young drivers, which focus on impeding the manifestation of anger, impulsivity and sensation seeking are recommended. Also, the empirical support for the attitude–behaviour hypothesis evidenced in this study vindicates the development or continuation of interventions that focus on this dynamic.     

A comparison of the Driving Anger Scale and the Propensity for Angry Driving Scale

The present study investigated the factor structures of the 14-item version of the DAS (Driving Anger Scale) and the Propensity for Angry Driving Scale (PADS) using a sample of New Zealand drivers drawn from the general population. The two scales were also investigated with regards to their relationships with general trait anger, risky driving behaviour, along with crash involvement and a variety of crash-related conditions. Confirmatory Factor Analysis supported both scales as unidimensional, although the PADS was reduced from a 19-item to an 18-item scale. Both the PADS and DAS were significantly related to trait anger, risky driving behaviour and near-misses. However, once the influence of the demographic variables and trait anger had been partialled out, the addition of the PADS and DAS made a significant contribution to predicting violations, but it was only the PADS which was significant. In contrast, after the demographic variables and trait anger had been partialled out, the addition of the DAS and PADS again made a significant contribution to the prediction of near-misses, but this time it was only the DAS which made a significant contribution. The present study clearly shows that both scales are robust measures, measuring similar, but slightly different aspects of driving anger.     

Accident involvement among learner drivers--an analysis of the consequences of supervised practice

It is a well-known fact that experience is important for safe driving. Previously, this presented a problem since experience was mostly gained during the most dangerous period of driving-the first years with a licence. In many countries, this "experience paradox" has been addressed by providing increased opportunities to gain experience through supervised practice. One question, however, which still needs to be answered is what has been lost and what has been gained through supervised practice. Does this method lead to fewer accidents after licensing and/or has the number of accidents in driving practice increased? There were three aims in the study. The first was to calculate the size of the accident problem in terms of the number of accidents, health risk and accident risk during practising. The second aim was to evaluate the solution of the "experience paradox" that supervised practice suggests by calculating the costs in terms of accidents during driving practice and the benefits in terms of reduced accident involvement after obtaining a licence. The third aim was to analyse conflict types that occur during driving practice. National register data on licence holders and police-reported injury accidents and self-reported exposure were used. The results show that during the period 1994-2000, 444 driving practice injury accidents were registered, compared to 13657 accidents during the first 2 years with a licence. The health risk during the period after licensing was 33 times higher and the accident risk 10 times higher than the corresponding risk during practice. The cost-benefit analysis showed that the benefits in terms of accident reduction after licensing were 30 times higher than the costs in terms of driving practice accidents. It is recommended that measures to reduce such accidents should focus on better education of the lay instructor, but not on introducing measures to reduce the amount of lay-instructed practice.     

Preventing risky driving: A novel and efficient brief intervention focusing on acknowledgement of personal risk factors

Impulsive personality is an important predictor of risky driving. Acknowledging their impulsive tendencies may help novice drivers to drive more safely. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of a novel brief intervention targeting novice drivers’ risky behavior in traffic, taking into account potential moderator effects. Driving school students (n = 1866) were divided into an intervention group and a control group. The intervention consisted of a lecture and group work (1.5 h). Subjects’ traffic offenses and crashes were monitored during the following year using police and traffic insurance fund databases. The groups were similar in their baseline characteristics. The intervention group had half as many speeding violations in the year following the intervention compared with the controls. The proportion of speeders was significantly lower in the intervention group compared with the control group in subgroups of subjects with medium cognitive abilities and low or medium BIS-11 impulsiveness levels. In alpha_2A-adrenoceptor gene (ADRA2A) G allele carriers, general traffic risk and speeding decreased in response to the intervention, unlike in subjects with the CC genotype. It is concluded that brief interventions that are integrated into the driving education program and focus on personal psychological risk factors may be effective for improving traffic safety.