Car ownership, mileage, and risky driving among young intermediate drivers

1. Car ownership, mileage, and risky driving among young intermediate drivers Presenter: Bridie Scott-Parker, PhD Candidate (Prof Barry Watson, Dr Mark King, Dr Melissa Hyde) Australasian College of Road Safety National Conference, Melbourne, 1-2 September 2011

2. Extent of the Problem • Young drivers (17-25 yrs) in Australia, 2008 • 26% of all road fatalities • 80% were male • Young drivers (17-24 yrs) in Queensland, 2008 • 13% of licensed driver/ rider population • 20% of road fatalities • 33% of all fatalities involved young drivers/ riders

3. 600 500 400 300 No. drivers in casualty crashes 200 100 0 0 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Years after licensing Casualty Crash Involvement in Queensland by Licence Type Learner licence phase Provisional licence phase Open licence phase Source: Queensland Government, 2005

4. Key changes to Queensland’s Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) Program, July 2007 • Learner • 16 years of age (was 16.5 yrs) • 12 month minimum duration (was 6 months) • 100 hours supervised practice recorded in logbook • Provisional • Two stages (was one three-year Provisional licence) • Provisional 1: 12 month minimum duration, night-time passenger restrictions Hazard Perception Test • Provisional 2: 24 month minimum duration

5. Vehicle Ownership • High rates of ownership amongst the most-inexperienced drivers • 28% - 70% of novices own car/primary access • Ownership rates increase considerably during Provisional period • Ownership associated with more risky driving • Speeding, particularly at night and with friends as passengers • Crashes, including ‘hooning’ crash involvement • Offences • Greater mileage • Longer ownership duration = more offences and crash involvement

6. Longitudinal Research • Survey 1 • 1032 drivers 17-19 years (609 females) • Queensland-wide sample, recruited April-June 2010 when passed practical driving assessment • Experiences and behaviours as a Learner driver • Survey 2 • 6 months of driving with a Provisional P1 licence • 355 drivers 17-20 years (247 females) • Experiences and behaviours as a Provisional driver • 341 drivers provided ownership information

7. Results: Exposure • Distance • Average 175 km/week • 52% ≤ 100 km/week • Duration • Average 7.5 hours/week • 87% ≤ 10 hours/week • Consistency throughout Provisional period • 17% greater exposure at first • 47% same exposure throughout • 16% greater exposure now

8. Results cont. • 75% of Provisional drivers owned their own car • Crash involvement since gaining their Provisional licence (6 months earlier) • 10% of drivers (male = female) • Offence detected by Police • 18% of males • 10% of females

9. Significant socio-demographicdifferences 9

10. Significant exposure differences 10

11. Significant risky behaviours

12. Other findings of interest • 95% of crashes reported by drivers residing in urban areas • Provisional drivers who reported a crash as a Learner were less likely to report owning a car • Provisional drivers who reported an offence had been detected as a Learner or as a Provisional driver • were significantly more likely to report owning a car • reported significantly greater duration and distance of exposure • Provisional drivers who reported more exposure recently reported • less crash involvement • more offences had been detected

13. Discussion & Future Research • High rate of ownership (75%) among the most inexperienced drivers • Consistent with prior research: no gender differences; owners more likely to be employed; greater exposure; more risky driving, crashes, offences • Inconsistent with prior research: higher ownership rates in rural areas (88% vs 77% in urban areas, ns) • Future research: When do they get the car? Car characteristics? Who pays for it? Is their driving monitored by Mum/Dad? • Greater exposure than previously reported (particularly important as self-report is frequently an underestimate) • Future research: When/why driving? Where? With whom?

14. Discussion & Future Research cont. • Learners who crashed less likely to own a car: Availability issue? Apprehension? Punishment? • Every Learner who offended had a car as a Provisional driver: More exposure, offences, crashes, talking out of fine • Owners reported a shorter Learner duration and more hours in the logbook: Highly motivated? Vehicle ownership plays a role? • Research limitations: Self-report; Attrition (70% of Survey 2 participants were female)

15. Discussion & Future Research cont. • GDL programs may need to incorporate additional education for parents and novices • Family responsibilities frequently change with licensure • Family car may be safer vehicle than young novice driver can afford themselves • Increased risks associated with ownership (more exposure, more risky driving, more crashes, more offences) • Monitor car use (journey characteristics, passenger carriage)

16. Discussion & Future Research cont. • Researchers have suggested owners are predisposed to risky driving, and the vehicle allows this to happen (psychological states/traits) • No differences in psychological distress (anxiety, depression) • No differences in sensation seeking propensity and sensitivity to reward • Suggests traits/states do not influence ownership, rather ownership allows these traits/states to influence their behaviour

17. Conclusions • Most novice drivers have their own car within six months of independent driving • Owning a car was associated with risky behaviour (Risky driving, more exposure, crashes, offences) • GDL programs should incorporate an education component specifically addressing the increased risks for the novice who owns their car

18. Questions? Contact Details:Bridie Scott-Parker, PhD Candidate Telephone: +61 7 3138 7727 Email: b.scott-parker@qut.edu.au Mark your Diaries! International Council on Alcohol, Drugs and Traffic Safety Conference (ICADTS T2013) August 2013, Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre