This study investigated the convergence of self-report and archival measures of motor vehicle crashes and moving violations. In contrast to earlier studies, this research used a sample that included a much wider age range and represented a broader cross section of the driving population. The authors assessed whether predictor and criteria relationships would vary as a function of criteria type (archival, self-report, or a combination of the two). The degree of agreement between the two criteria sources was low; participants self-reported more crashes and tickets than were found in state records. Combining the two criteria did not result in relationships stronger than those obtained for self-reports alone. Findings suggest that self-reported data is not inherently inferior to archival data, and that the two sources of data cannot be used interchangeably.
Abstract