Citation

Palk G, Freeman J, Kee AG, Steinhardt D, Davey JD. Transp. Res. F Traffic Psychol. Behav. 2011; 14(2): 147-154.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2011, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.trf.2010.11.004

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Background: Young motorists engaging in anti-social and often dangerous driving maneuvers (which is often referred to as "hooning" within Australia) is an increasing road safety problem. While anecdotal evidence suggests that such behavior is positively linked with crash involvement, researchers have yet to examine whether younger drivers who deliberately break road rules and drive in an erratic manner (usually with peers) are in fact over-represented in crash statistics. This paper outlines research that aimed to identify the characteristics of individuals most likely to engaging in hooning behaviors, as well as examine the frequency of such driving behaviors and if such activity is linked with self-reported crash involvement. Methods: A total of 717 young drivers in Queensland voluntarily completed a questionnaire to investigate their driving behavior and crash history. Results: Quantitative analysis of the data revealed that almost half the sample reported engaging in some form of "hooning" behavior at least once in their lifetime, although only 4% indicated heavy participation in the behavior e.g., >50 times. Street racing was the most common activity reported by participants followed by "drifting" and then "burnouts". Logistic regression analysis indicated that being younger and a male was predictive of reporting such anti-social driving behaviors, and importantly, a trend was identified between such behavior and self-reported crash involvement. Conclusions: This research provides preliminary evidence that younger male drivers are more likely to engage in dangerous driving behaviors, which ultimately may prove to increase their overall risk of becoming involved in a crash. This paper will further outline the study findings in regards to current enforcement efforts to deter such driving activity as well as provide direction for future research efforts in this area.