Risky Driving or Risky Drivers?

Leal, Nerida; Watson, Barry; Armstrong, Kerry · 2010 · Crossref

DOI: 10.3141/2182-03

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Summary

This study investigates whether illegal street racing offenders represent a distinct group of high-risk drivers or if their crash involvement can be attributed solely to the demographic risk factors associated with young male drivers. Motivated by the lack of empirical evidence regarding the specific crash risks of street racing due to limitations in official data sources, the researchers aimed to determine if these offenders exhibit a general pattern of risky driving behavior beyond their age and gender. The research employed a comparative design using data from Queensland, Australia. The study sample consisted of 183 male drivers convicted of illegal street racing between July 2005 and September 2006. This offender group was compared to a control group of 183 randomly selected male drivers matched for age distribution to isolate the effect of the offending behavior from age-related risks. Data on prior traffic infringements, license sanctions, and crash histories were extracted from police and transport databases for both groups up to the time of the offense or a median index date. Statistical analyses, including Mann-Whitney U tests and Chi-square tests, were used to compare the driving histories of the two groups. The results indicated that street racing offenders had significantly more prior traffic infringements, license sanctions, and crashes than the comparison group. Specifically, offenders were more likely to have prior offenses related to speeding, hooning, and vehicle defects or illegal modifications. While speeding was the most common infringement type for both groups, offenders showed a higher proportion of mid- and high-range speeding offenses. Additionally, offenders were significantly more likely to have experienced license sanctions, primarily due to exceeding demerit point limits. Although the study found that offenders were involved in more crashes, there was insufficient statistical power to fully analyze differences in crash severity or specific contributing factors, though trends suggested offenders were more likely to have crashes involving speeding and inattention. The study concludes that illegal street racing offenders are generally risky drivers whose behavior warrants specific attention, as their risk profile cannot be explained by youth alone. The findings support the view that these individuals engage in a broader pattern of risky driving behaviors, including speeding and vehicle modification violations, compared to their non-offending peers. This evidence suggests that interventions targeting street racing should address the general riskiness of the drivers involved, rather than treating the behavior as an isolated incident or a byproduct of age.

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Topics

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• sex gender
• novice drivers
• induced exposure

Information type

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• Empirical Findings: crash risk outcomes