Studies have shown that the accident risk of young drivers increases when they have passengers of a similar age to them, but not when they carry children or people aged over 25 years. A study was conducted to examine the factors that affect the likelihood of adolescent passengers asking a driver to drive more carefully when they feel unsafe or worried. The study was based on three focus group interviews and a survey of 774 adolescents in Sweden. Risk taking and violations were more common when the driver was a young male. Male drivers reported driving more carefully when they had a female passenger. Fear of creating conflict was a major factor in addressing unsafe driving. To address unsafe driving was regarded as more acceptable for a female passenger than for a male. Measures aimed at empowering adolescent passengers to speak out against unsafe driving would reduce the number of car accidents.
Samenvatting