Driver Behavior Characteristics of Teenage Drivers and Older Drivers

Parham, Angelia H.; Ford, Garry L. · 1999 · ROSA P / Texas Transportation Institute. Texas A&M University

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Summary

This report documents the second-year activities of a Texas Department of Transportation project aimed at identifying critical driver behavior issues to improve traffic safety education for teenage and older drivers. Motivated by the increasing complexity of traffic control devices and the high crash rates among these two demographic groups, the study sought to determine specific comprehension deficiencies and driving difficulties. The findings were intended to inform the development of targeted educational curricula, revisions to the Texas Drivers Handbook, and outreach materials. The researchers conducted two distinct surveys. The first survey targeted 482 teenage drivers (ages 15–18) enrolled in driver education programs in four Texas cities. The instrument assessed perceptions of crash causes, difficulties with driving conditions and traffic controls, and preferences for educational materials. The second survey was mailed to a random sample of 1,100 older drivers (age 50+) in Texas, yielding 107 responses. This survey evaluated understanding of traffic control devices, difficult driving maneuvers, trip patterns, and preferences for educational interventions. Teenage drivers identified drinking and driving as the primary cause of crashes for all drivers and teenagers, followed by inattention, carelessness, and speeding. They rated drinking and driving as the most serious problem. In terms of driving difficulties, teenagers found rain, snow/ice, and extreme weather most challenging, followed by roadway construction and nighttime conditions. Freeways, entrance/exit ramps, and frontage roads were cited as the most difficult roadways, while pavement markings and construction zones were the hardest traffic controls to understand. Teenagers preferred television, speakers, and internet websites as effective educational tools. Older drivers reported higher fatal crash involvement rates and identified nighttime driving, backing up, and passing on two-lane highways as difficult operations. They expressed significant difficulty seeing and reading signs, particularly those obstructed by vegetation or featuring small lettering. While most correctly identified standard sign shapes, many struggled with interpreting signs by shape alone or understanding construction zone signage. Older drivers indicated that larger signs, larger letters, brighter signage, and more street lighting would make driving easier. Notably, 72% of older drivers expressed interest in taking a driver education course designed specifically for their age group. These findings provide specific data for tailoring safety education and infrastructure design to address the unique needs of these vulnerable driver populations.

Key finding

Teenage drivers rated drinking and driving as the most serious problem and identified pavement markings and construction zones as the most difficult traffic controls to understand, while older drivers reported nighttime driving and recognizing sign shapes as their primary difficulties.

Methodology

survey

Sample size: 589

Provenance

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Topics

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• older driver retraining
• rail grade crossings
• novice drivers
• older drivers
• parental management
• driver education effectiveness

Information type

What kind of knowledge this paper contributes, grouped by family — independent of topic (what it is about) and method (how it was studied).

• Empirical Findings: observational prevalence
• Methodological Resource: dataset resource
• Theoretical Contribution: theory or model