The aim of this study was to provide a sound basis for the development of measures to reduce risk-taking among young novice drivers. The objectives were to identify the groups of young driver most likely to engage in risky driving behaviour; and to assess the importance of age, experience, over-confidence, aversive consequences and parental risky driving as influences on risk-taking by young novice drivers. The rate of risky traffic offences was found to be much higher for young males than for young females. Risky offence rates declined steeply with increasing age. For both males and females, the offence rate was far higher for drivers who had committed prior offences than for drivers who had not. Risky offences continue at relatively high rates even after the driver's licence has been suspended or cancelled. Over-confidence was found in the telephone survey to contribute to speeding, using a hand-held mobile phone while driving and running red lights, but not to aggressive driving. Survey respondents explicitly acknowledged the influence of both their fathers' and their mothers' driving on their own driving style. (Author/publisher)
Abstract