Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of contributors
- Preface
- 1 New perspectives on adolescent risk behavior
- Part I A focus on development
- Part II A focus on problem behavior
- 3 Persistent themes and new perspectives on adolescent substance use: A lifespan perspective
- 4 Multiple risk factors for multiproblem boys: Co-occurrence of delinquency, substance use, attention deficit, conduct problems, physical aggression, covert behavior, depressed mood, and shy/withdrawn behavior
- 5 Adult outcomes of adolescent drug use: A comparison of process–oriented and incremental analyses
- 6 Linking etiology and treatment for adolescent substance abuse: Toward a better match
- 7 Risky driving behavior among adolescents
- Part III A focus on sexual activity
- Part IV A focus on psychopathology
- Part V A focus on social role performance
- Part VI Overview and integration
- Author index
- Subject index
7 - Risky driving behavior among adolescents
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 06 July 2010
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of contributors
- Preface
- 1 New perspectives on adolescent risk behavior
- Part I A focus on development
- Part II A focus on problem behavior
- 3 Persistent themes and new perspectives on adolescent substance use: A lifespan perspective
- 4 Multiple risk factors for multiproblem boys: Co-occurrence of delinquency, substance use, attention deficit, conduct problems, physical aggression, covert behavior, depressed mood, and shy/withdrawn behavior
- 5 Adult outcomes of adolescent drug use: A comparison of process–oriented and incremental analyses
- 6 Linking etiology and treatment for adolescent substance abuse: Toward a better match
- 7 Risky driving behavior among adolescents
- Part III A focus on sexual activity
- Part IV A focus on psychopathology
- Part V A focus on social role performance
- Part VI Overview and integration
- Author index
- Subject index
Summary
It is well known that many young people have driving styles that heighten their risk of being in a motor vehicle crash. Compared with older people, young drivers are more likely to drive fast, follow too closely, overtake in a risky manner, allow too little time to merge, and fail to yield to pedestrians (Bergeron, 1995; Jonah, 1986; Romanowicz & Gebers, 1990; Saibel, Salzberg, & Thurston, 1996). When these factors combine with young people's lack of driving experience – especially their reduced ability to recognize and respond to hazardous situations – the result is a greatly elevated crash involvement rate, particularly among the youngest drivers (Williams, 1996). The elevated crash rate of young beginners per mile driven is illustrated in Figure 7.1. Teenagers have a higher crash risk than older drivers; within the teenage years, 16-year-olds (43 crashes per million miles) and 17-year-olds (30) have particularly high crash rates compared with 18- to 19- year-olds (15). Deaths from motor vehicle crashes represent the largest health problem among 16- to 19-year-olds, accounting for about one-third of all their deaths in the United States. Thus, in terms of behaviors that compromise the health of adolescents, motor vehicle use is a major contributor.
Overview and new perspectives
Despite the importance of motor vehicle use in contributing to health problems among adolescents, the highway safety field has existed largely outside the broader public health field.
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- New Perspectives on Adolescent Risk Behavior , pp. 220 - 237Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 1998
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