The road safety implications of illegal street racing and associated risky driving behaviours: An analysis of offences and offenders

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore the road safety implications of illegal street racing and associated risky driving behaviours. This issue was considered in two ways: Phase 1 examined the descriptions of 848 illegal street racing and associated risky driving offences that occurred in Queensland, Australia, in order to estimate the risk associated with these behaviours; and Phase 2 examined the traffic and crash histories of the 802 male offenders involved in these offences, and compared them to those of an age-matched comparison group, in order to examine the risk associated with the driver. It was found in Phase 1 that only 3.7% of these offences resulted in a crash (none of which were fatal), and that these crashes tended to be single-vehicle crashes where the driver lost control of the vehicle and collided with a fixed object. Phase 2 found that the offender sample had significantly more traffic infringements, licence sanctions and crashes in the previous three years than the comparison group. It was concluded that while only a small proportion of racing and associated offences result in a crash, these offenders appear to be generally risky drivers that warrant special attention.

U.S. Adolescent Street Racing and Other Risky Driving Behaviors

“…Consistent with past studies [2–4], DSR was associated with other risky driving behaviors. However, in sequential modeling, C-RDS, not DSR, was associated with crashes.…”

“…Despite cross-sectional and retrospective associations with crashes [2–4], traffic violations [4], driving while intoxicated [3], and risk appraisal [5], street racing has been a largely neglected topic of research [3,6]. Notably, there is a paucity of research on prevalence, predictors, and its covariation with other risky driving behaviors among young, inexperienced drivers.…”

Evaluation of Deterrent Impact of Ontario's Street Racing and Stunt Driving Law on Extreme Speeding Convictions

“…Even though a small percentage of road fatalities were attributed to street racing (0.21%), racing involves risky driving behaviors such as speeding and driving under the influence of alcohol and results in serious consequences, including deaths and high criminal charges, predominantly for teenaged male drivers (Knight et al 2004). An Australian study of street racing and associated stunt driving found that very few of such activities (3.7%) resulted in crashes (Leal and Watson 2011). There are no official national statistics in Canada on collisions or casualties related to street racing and stunt driving.…”

Prevalence and Correlates of Street Racing Among Ontario High School Students

“…Additionally, data cited from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found that in the United States, 804 people, a substantial proportion of them young (15 to 25 year olds), were killed in racing-related crashes between 2001(Manning 2008. In a study of Australian street racing offenders, Leal and Watson (2011) found that street racing incidents resulted in a relatively small proportion of crashes but that offenders had significantly worse driving records in the 3 years prior to the offence, including more collisions, than an age-matched comparison group.…”