The aim of this study was to describe the road safety practices of young adults in New Zealand. Self-reported information on a range of road safety practices was obtained from 948 members of the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study cohort at age 21 years. In the previous 30 days: 49 percent of the males and 32 percent of the females had driven within two hours of drinking alcohol; 19 percent males and 8 percent females had driven after drinking too much to perhaps be able to drive safely, 25 percent males and 90 percent females had driven after using marijuana. In addition, 38 percent males and 11 percent females reported often driving faster than 120 kph on the open road, 25 percent males and 6 percent females reported often driving fast just for the thrill of it; 30 percent of the males and 7 percent of the females sometimes/often take deliberate risks when driving just for fun. Seatbelt use as a driver was reported as occurring "always" or "nearly always" for 87 percent of the males and 95 percent of the females, but as a rear seat passenger it was 34 percent and 47 percent, respectively. The authors conclude that unsafe road traffic practices are still unacceptably high, especially among young males. Continued efforts are needed to find new ways of addressing these problems. (A)
Abstract