The Prevalence of Several Risky Driving Behaviors and Associated Crash Risk in Adolescent: A Population-Based Study of Tuscany Region

Abstract

Objectives: To evaluate the prevalence of numerous risky driving behaviors (RDBs) and the associated risk of road traffic accidents (RTA) in a population-based sample of adolescent drivers (14–19 years) of Tuscany, Italy.Methods: The frequency of participation -by age and sex- often RDBs were investigated: Multivariable analyses were performed to evaluate the association between RDBs and the risk of RTA and severe RTA.Results: 2,737 adolescents were included in the study. Talking to passenger(s), listening to loud music, speeding, and texting showed the highest weekly participation rates. For all the considered RDBs, the frequency of participation significantly increased with age. Males reported a significantly higher participation in speeding, DUI of alcohol or drugs; while females reported listening to loud music and talking to passenger(s) more frequently. All the considered RDBs were significantly associated with the risk of RTA and severe RTA.Conclusion: The prevalence of RDBs and the associated risk of RTA largely varied in adolescents. Findings provide evidence for tailoring prevention interventions and suggest the need to include common- but traditionally overlooked- RDBs in road safety campaigns.

Driving Behaviour in Depression Based on Subjective Evaluation and Data from a Driving Simulator

“…Studies have shown that speed is an important factor for road safety, since it is related to the risk of RTCs, while also affecting crash severity, resulting in higher mortality [ 74 , 75 , 76 , 77 ]. Other studies have also shown that male gender is associated with higher driving speed [ 78 , 79 , 80 , 81 ]. It is of note that, in one of those studies in a driving simulator, men were found to drive approximately 17% faster than women [ 80 ], a value that is not far away from our findings that on the motorway the difference in speed between men and women is about 11% on the average, increased to about 13% for a rural scenario.…”

Trends in Adolescent Health Risk Behaviors and Wellbeing: A 10 Year Observation from the EDIT Surveillance of Tuscany Region, Italy

“…Italian adolescents have a concerningly low participation level in physical activity, and more than half of them eat neither fruits nor vegetables daily [ 17 ]; furthermore, a considerable proportion of adolescents reported a high frequency of participation in various unsafe and risky driving practices [ 18 ]. Italian adolescents are reported to have one of the highest participation levels in tobacco and cannabis consumption across the countries surveyed by the Health Behavior in School-Aged Children (HBSC) survey in 2017/2018; in the HBSC survey, several indicators also showed that Italian adolescents are experiencing a poor mental health level [ 17 ].…”