ADOLESCENT DRIVER RISK TAKING AND DRIVER EDUCATION: EVIDENCE OF A MOBILITY BIAS IN PUBLIC POLICYMAKING
In high-income countries, highway traffic injury is the leading cause of death among adolescents. Safety researchers attribute this threat to driver risk taking, which driver education (DE) attempts to reduce. Many North American entities grant graduates of DE earlier access to unsupervised driving despite no evidence of this being a safety benefit. This theoretical paper examines risk taking and DE in relation to an apparent mobility bias (MB) in policymaking. In the study method, MB is defined, the history and sources of driver risk taking are studied, and failure of DE to reduce collision risk is analyzed in relation to a potential MB in licensing policies. It is argued that DE's failure to reduce adolescent collision risk is associated with an MB that has produced insufficient research into DE programs, which influences public policymakers to grant earlier licensure to DE graduates. Recommendations are made regarding future research on DE and risk taking, coordinated improvements to DE and driver licensing, and a plan to reduce collision risk by encouraging parental supervision after adolescent licensure.
-
Availability:
- Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/oclc/1800052
-
Corporate Authors:
Elsevier
360 Park Avenue South
New York, NY United States 10011-1710 -
Authors:
- Hirsch, P
- Publication Date: 2003
Language
- English
Media Info
- Features: References;
- Pagination: p. 289-298
-
Serial:
- Journal of Safety Research
- Volume: 34
- Issue Number: 3
- Publisher: Elsevier
- ISSN: 0022-4375
- Serial URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/00224375
Subject/Index Terms
- TRT Terms: Adolescents; Automobile driving; Crash causes; Developed countries; Driver education; Driver experience; Graduated licensing; High risk drivers; Injuries; Injury causes; Recently qualified drivers; Risk taking; Teenage drivers; Traffic crashes; Transportation policy
- Subject Areas: Highways; Policy; Safety and Human Factors; I83: Accidents and the Human Factor;
Filing Info
- Accession Number: 00964499
- Record Type: Publication
- Files: TRIS, ATRI
- Created Date: Oct 7 2003 12:00AM