The effects of inexperience and gender on road traffic accidents were examined. Pedestrian studies were carried out at four schools in Oxfordshire and Wiltshire, UK by supplying questionnaires and educational materials to parents, and a second observational study was carried out at two schools in catchments differing in socioeconomic status in Wiltshire. Parents considered boys less easy to teach and less likely to be careful at the side of the road than girls but allowed children on the road alone at the same age irrespective of sex. When boys were at the side of the road, they were at a greater distance from their carers than girls. Children from lower socioeconomic backgrounds were less well supervised than children from higher socioeconomic backgrounds. A pre-driver study indicated that boys had a greater affinity for speed, thought driving would be easy, and were more influenced by friends' expectations than girls. An internet study linked competitiveness and antisocial behaviour with risk taking and violation behaviours. Driver observation studies on choice of speed are reported. Young male drivers were more likely to choose inappropriate speeds and to drive faster when they had male passengers. Close following and gap acceptance behaviours were studied in wet and dry weather. Gender differences were not found and larger gaps were accepted in wet than in dry weather. Models for predicting behaviour are described. The implications of the studies are discussed.
Abstract