ABSTRACT

Driver history data, in combination with previously collected tenth-grade questionnaire data, for 4403 subjects were analyzed by Poisson regression models to identify the significant substance use and parental characteristics predicting subsequent high-risk driving of new drivers (starting at age 16) through age 23–24 years. Substance use (cigarettes, marijuana, and alcohol) reported at age 15 was shown to be an important predictor of subsequent excess risk of serious offenses and serious crashes for both men and women. In addition, negative parental influences (lenient attitudes toward young people’s drinking; low monitoring, nurturance, family connectedness), were also demonstrated to increase the risk of serious offenses and serious crashes for both men and women.

ABSTRACT

Motor vehicle crashes remain elevated among novice teen drivers for at least several years after licensure. Licensing policies and driver education are the two primary countermeasures employed to decrease young driver crash risks. Graduated driver licensing policies have proved to be effective in reducing crash rates where evaluated. Driver education is an essential part of teaching teens the rules of the road and operating a vehicle, but requires few hours of professional driver training, relying mainly on parents to provide most of the supervised practice driving teens obtain before independent driving licensure. The few studies that have been conducted to increase parent supervised practice driving have not shown positive results. Moreover, it is unclear that increases in practice would improve independent driving safety. Recent research has shown that parent management of the early independent driving experience of novice teens improves safety outcomes, and other research has shown that it is possible to increase parent management practices. This paper provides a review of the literature on parent involvement in supervised practice and independent driving, and efforts to increase parental management.