The main aim of this research was to investigate whether aggressive behaviour while driving has an impact on young drivers' involvement in car crashes and, specifically, if it can predict young drivers' car crashes. The study also aimed to determine whether several other characteristics of the participants could predict young drivers' involvement in car crashes. The hypothesis was that young drivers who reported more aggressive behaviours while driving and committed more traffic violations did not have an increased risk of being involved in a car crash. Randomly selected samples of 356 young drivers (18-24 years of age) were interviewed by questionnaire of self-reported crash involvement, which mainly focused on their behaviour on the road and number of car crashes in which they had been involved. Principal components analysis and multiple regression analysis were employed. Two factors relevant to aggressive driving emerged: 1) driving violations and 2) irritability while driving. The multivariate model suggested that driving for fun and irritability were predictors of young drivers' involvement in car crashes. It was found that younger age was negatively associated with young drivers' involvement in car crashes. These findings should be of interest to policymakers, educators, and insurance companies. (Author/publisher)
Abstract