title: An examination of the relationship between measures of impulsivity and risky simulated driving amongst young drivers.
abstract: The risky driving of young drivers may owe in part to youthful motivations (such as experience-seeking, authority rebellion, desire for peer approval) combined with incompletely developed impulse control. Although self-reported impulsiveness has been positively associated with self-reports of risky driving, results based on objective measures of response inhibition (e.g., Go/No-go tasks) have been inconclusive. The present study examined interrelationships between measures of response inhibition, self-report impulsiveness scales, and responses to events during a simulated drive that were designed to detect impulsive, unsafe behaviours (e.g., turning across on-coming traffic). Participants were 72 first-year Psychology students. More speeding and "Unsafe" responding to critical events during simulated driving were associated with poorer impulse control as assessed by commission errors during a Go/No-Go task. These results consolidate evidence for a relationship between impulse control and risky driving amongst young drivers.
authors.affiliation: Transport and Road Safety Research Centre (TARS), The University of New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Julie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hatfield
authors.affiliation: Transport and Road Safety Research Centre (TARS), The University of New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Ann
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Williamson
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, The University of New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: E James
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Kehoe
authors.affiliation: Transport and Road Safety Research Centre (TARS), The University of New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Prasannah
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Prabhakharan
mesh_terms: D000063:Accidents, Traffic / Q000523:psychology; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001334:Automobile Driving / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007175:Impulsive Behavior; D008297:Male; D012306:Risk; D012309:Risk-Taking; D057566:Self Report; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Impulse control; Impulsiveness; Risky driving; Young drivers