title: Risky driving habits and motor vehicle driver injury.
abstract: Risky driving is an important cause of motor vehicle injury, but there is a lack of good epidemiological data in this field, particularly data comparing risky driving in younger drivers to those of other age groups. We examined the relationship between risky driving habits, prior traffic convictions and motor vehicle injury using cross-sectional data amongst 21,893 individuals in New Zealand, including 8029 who were aged 16-24 years. Those who reported frequently racing a motor vehicle for excitement or driving at 20 km/h or more over the speed limit, and those who had received traffic convictions over the past 12 months, were between two and four times more likely to have been injured while driving over the same time period. Driving unlicensed was a risk factor for older but not younger drivers, and driving at 20 km/h or more above the speed limits was a stronger risk factor for younger (<25 years) than older drivers. These results confirm the need for interventions targeting risky driving and suggest that different strategies may be required for different high-risk groups.
authors.affiliation: The George Institute for International Health, University of Sydney, P.O. Box M201, Missenden Road, Sydney, NSW 2050, Australia. sblows@thegeorgeinstitute.org
authors.forename: Stephanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Blows
authors.forename: Shanthi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ameratunga
authors.forename: Rebecca Q
authors.initials: RQ
authors.lastname: Ivers
authors.forename: Sing Kai
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Lo
authors.forename: Robyn
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Norton
mesh_terms: D000063:Accidents, Traffic / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D001334:Automobile Driving / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015984:Causality; D003415:Crime / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008004:Licensure / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009520:New Zealand / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012622:Seat Belts / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology*