Adolescent predictors of traffic crash patterns from licensure into early young adulthood

This paper examines differences in the adolescent psychosocial and problem behavior characteristics of individuals who have stable-low, increasing, stable-high and decreasing frequencies of motor vehicle crashes from licensure into early young adulthood. Problem Behavior Theory was used as the guiding theoretical framework. Study data were collected when the participants were in 10th and 12th grades, and during a young adulthood follow-up telephone survey conducted five to six years later (n = 1,936). For men, stable high crash rates were associated with less parental monitoring and more substance use, and a stable low crash rates were associated with better marks in school. For women, stable high crash rates were associated with poorer marks in school and more substance use, and patterns of both decreasing and stable high crash rates were associated with less parental monitoring and less parental orientation. It is concluded that patterns of motor vehicle crashes are associated with adolescent psychosocial and problem behavior characteristics. Interventions targeting these factors may have broad positive effects on problem behaviors, including problem driving and motor vehicle crashes. In addition, the results of this study may be useful in designing traffic safety policies that target individuals whose psychosocial characteristics indicate that they are at high risk of being involved in a crash.