Young people's risky behaviour requires integral approach. Whereas for children — the 0 to 4 year olds — disease is the prime cause of death, for young adolescents, it is not disease but injuries that account for almost half the number of deaths. In most of these cases the injuries were sustained in traffic crashes. Research indicates that this high proportion of fatal traffic injuries is in part caused by risky behaviour of young people. These risky behaviours are caused by several factors, namely inexperience, novelty seeking, high exposure to risk and deliberate risk taking. The first question in the present study is whether risky behaviour such as that in traffic, stands alone or is also reflected in other areas such as health behaviour (smoking, drinking), crime, violence and unsafe sex. This question is of interest because in the Netherlands a policy dividing line can be distinguished between injury consequences of health behaviour and injury due to a traffic accident. The aim of the study is to see whether the risk behaviour of young people in the various social fields can be investigated and addressed and addressed in an integral manner, resulting in more efficient and more effective policy.
Abstract