Stability and change in risky driving from the late teens to the late twenties. Report prepared by the Australian Institute of Family Studies for the Transport Accident Commission of Victoria and the Royal Automobile Club of Victoria.

While there has been a significant reduction in the Australian road toll in recent decades, young drivers continue to be over-represented among those injured or killed in traffic accidents. Risky driving behaviours – such as speeding, driving while fatigued and driving while under the influence of alcohol – are often implicated in these crashes. A large body of research has sought to clarify the factors that contribute to the high incidence of risky driving among young drivers. However, less is known about how a young person’s engagement in risky driving changes as he or she ages and gains experience on the road, and the factors associated with stability and change in this behaviour. This report–a product of the collaborative partnership between the Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS), the Transport Accident Commission of Victoria and the Royal Automobile Club of Victoria (RACV)–aims to investigate the stability of risky driving from the late teens to the late twenties, and examine the individual, family and broader environmental factors associated with different across-time patterns of risky driving (i.e., stable, increasing and decreasing). (Author/publisher)