THE YOUNG DRIVER FOLLOW-UP STUDY: AN EVALUATION OF THE ROLE OF HUMAN FACTORS IN THE FIRST FOUR YEARS OF DRIVING

THE SAMPLE CONSISTED OF 13,915 PERSONS WHO WERE 16 OR 17 YEARS OF AGE WHEN LICENSED IN FIVE CALIFORNIA COUNTIES IN 1963-63. THIS STUDY DESCRIBES THEIR DRIVING RECORDS DURING THEIR FIRST FOUR YEARS OF DRIVING, AND CORRELATES THEIR DRIVING RECORDS WITH OTHER BIOGRAPHICAL DATA, INCLUDING ATTITUDES, SELF- DESCRIPTION AND RESULTS OF PERSONALITY TESTS. THE AVERAGE NUMBER OF ACCIDENTS SHOWED LITTLE CHANGE IN THE FIRST FOUR YEARS OF DRIVING. THIS RESULT DOES NOT PROVIDE SUPPORT FOR INCREASING THE LICENSING AGE TO 18. THE ACCIDENT RATE ADJUSTED FOR MILEAGE DECREASED WITH INCREASING EXPERIENCE. CONVICTION RATES (ADJUSTED FOR MILEAGE) EITHER INCREREASED OR SHOWED NO CHANGE ACROSS YEARS. CONSIDERABLE CHANGES WERE FOUND IN ACCIDENT CHARACTERISTICS WITH INCREASING EXPERIENCE. SUSPENSION AND REVOCATION OF LICENSES WAS NOT VERY EFFECTIVE IN KEEPING DRIVERS OFF THE ROAD. THE OVERALL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ACCIDENT FREQUENCY AND BIOGRAPHICAL DATA WAS TOO LOW TO PERMIT ACCURATE IDENTIFICATION OF "ACCIDENT PRONE" DRIVERS PRIOR TO LICENSING. CONVICTIONS WERE PREDICTABLE TO A MODERATELY HIGH DEGREE FROM BIOGRAPHICAL DATA. FOR THOSE WITH FATAL AND INJURY ACCIDENTS, THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE ACCIDENTS WERE NOT PREDICTING FUTURE ACCIDENTS. THOSE TAKING BEHIND-THE-WHEEL DRIVER TRAINING HAD BETTER DRIVING RECORDS, AND MORE SOCIALLY DESIRABLE PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS THAN THOSE NOT TAKING THE COURSE, INDICATING VOLUNTEER BIAS. FINDINGS ON THE EFFECTS OF DRIVER TRAINING ARE NOT TOTALLY CONCLUSIVE DUE TO METHODOLOGICAL LIMITATIONS. HIGH ACCIDENT SUBJECTS WERE CHARACTERIZED BY SOCIAL DEVIANCY, GREATER INVOLVEMENT WITH CARS, AND MORE RECKLESS, MORE EMOTIONALLY MOTIVATED DRIVING WHEN A TEENAGER. HIGH AND LOW ACCIDENT DRIVERS DESCRIBE THEIR DRIVING BEHAVIOR AS SIMILAR AT THE TIME OF INTERVIEW. /FHWA/

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Report No 38, 242 PP, FIG, TAB, REF
• Corporate Authors:

  California State Department of Motor VEhicles

  Division of Administration
  Sacramento, CA  United States  95809
• Authors:
  • Harrington, D M
• Publication Date: 1971-9

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Adolescents; Biographies; Driver licensing; Driver performance; Driver training; Drivers; Follow up investigation; High risk drivers; Knowledge; Personality; Personnel performance; Psychology; Traffic conviction; Traffic crashes
• Uncontrolled Terms: Experience
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00223738
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Highway Safety Research Institute
• Files: TRIS, STATEDOT
• Created Date: May 22 1972 12:00AM