PSYCHOLOGICAL ANTECEDENTS OF AUTOMOBILE ACCIDENTS IN RURAL ADOLESCENTS

Teenagers account for a disproportionate number of traffic accidents and violations. Assuming that family disequilibrium affects adolescent driving, the authors have investigated the life styles and family relationships of 496 adolescents, age 16 to 19, and their parents in relation to their driving records. Family dysfunction and social stress seem to be very important in the causation of accidents in males, but not females. The only important predictor for females seems to be exposure to risk or actual mileage driven. These preliminary studies give credence to the hypothesis that for males, auto accidents, like social deviancy, are symptomatic of family disorder. That females do not choose this avenue of expression of conflict is probably due to sex-role limitations on assertive behavior in girls.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • The 18th Conference of the American Association for Automotive Medicine was held in Toronto, Canada, Sept. 12-14, 1974.
• Corporate Authors:

  American Association for Automotive Medicine

  801 Green Bay Road
  Lake Bluff, IL  United States  60044

  American Association for Automotive Medicine

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  Oak Brook, IL  United States  60523
• Authors:
  • SOBEL, R
  • Underhill, R N
• Conference:
  • 18th Annual Conference of the American Association for Automotive Medicine
  • Location: Toronto Ontario, Canada
  • Date: 1974-9-12 to 1974-9-14
• Publication Date: 1974

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 15 p.
• Serial:
  • Volume: 18

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Adolescents; Behavior; Crash causes; Driver performance; Driver records; Drivers; Families; Gender; Personnel performance; Social values; Traffic crashes; Traffic violators
• Uncontrolled Terms: Disequilibrium
• Old TRIS Terms: Driver psychology
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors; Security and Emergencies; Society;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00081287
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Highway Safety Research Institute
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Mar 26 1975 12:00AM