Naturalistic teenage driving study: Findings and lessons learned

Area of Science:

• Road Safety
• Traffic Psychology
• Adolescent Health

Background:

• Novice teenage driving is a significant public health concern.
• High rates of crashes and risky driving behaviors are observed in young drivers.

Purpose of the Study:

• To summarize findings on novice teenage driving outcomes.
• To identify factors contributing to crashes and risky driving in teenagers.

Main Methods:

• Data collected from 42 newly licensed teen drivers and parents over 18 months.
• Included survey data, driving data from a data acquisition system (GPS, accelerometers, cameras), and stress responsivity measures.

Main Results:

• Teenage crash and near-crash (CNC) rates declined over time but remained over 4 times higher than adult rates.
• Key contributing factors included secondary task engagement (distraction), kinematic risky driving, low stress responsivity, and risky social norms.

Conclusions:

• High novice teen CNC risk stems from inexperience and risky driving behaviors, specifically kinematic risky driving and secondary task engagement.
• Prevention strategies and graduated driver licensing policies should address kinematic risky driving, secondary task engagement, and social norms.