Experimental effects of injunctive norms on simulated risky driving among teenage males.
OBJECTIVE
Teenage passengers affect teenage driving performance, possibly by social influence. To examine the effect of social norms on driving behavior, male teenagers were randomly assigned to drive in a simulator with a peer-aged confederate to whom participants were primed to attribute either risk-accepting or risk-averse social norms. It was hypothesized that teenage drivers would engage in more risky driving behavior in the presence of peer passengers than no passengers, and with a risk-accepting compared with a risk-averse passenger.


METHODS
66 male participants aged 16 to 18 years holding a provisional driver license were randomized to drive with a risk-accepting or risk-averse passenger in a simulator. Failure to Stop at a red light and percent Time in Red (light) were measured as primary risk-relevant outcomes of interest at 18 intersections, while driving once alone and once with their assigned passenger.


RESULTS
The effect of passenger presence on risky driving was moderated by passenger type for Failed to Stop in a generalized linear mixed model (OR = 1.84, 95% CI [1.19, 2.86], p < .001), and percent Time in Red in a mixed model (B = 7.71, 95% CI [1.54, 13.87], p < .05).


CONCLUSIONS
Exposure of teenage males to a risk-accepting confederate peer increased teenage males' risky simulated driving behavior compared with exposure to a risk-averse confederate peer. These results indicate that variability in teenage risky driving could be partially explained by social norms.
Health Behavior Branch, Division of Intramural Population Health Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development.
Bruce G
BG
Simons-Morton
Transportation Research Institute, University of Michigan.
C Raymond
CR
Bingham
Department of Communication Studies, University of Michigan.
Emily B
EB
Falk
Health Behavior Branch, Division of Intramural Population Health Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development.
Kaigang
K
Li
Transportation Research Institute, University of Michigan.
Anuj K
AK
Pradhan
Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Sherbrooke.
Marie Claude
MC
Ouimet
Transportation Research Institute, University of Michigan.
Farideh
F
Almani
Transportation Research Institute, University of Michigan.
Jean T
JT
Shope
D000293:Adolescent; D001334:Automobile Driving / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003198:Computer Simulation; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010379:Peer Group; D012309:Risk-Taking; D066262:Social Norms; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis