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RISK PERCEPTION, PEER PASSENGER ROLE, AND YOUNG DRIVERS' BEHAVIOR – A FOCUS GROUP APPROACH
Abstract
Young drivers have the highest rates of car crash involvement despite extensive measures taken to prevent it. During the last decade, research has focused on analyzing peer influence and peer pressure in order to gain a better understanding of young drivers' high rates of car crash involvement. This paper analyzes how risk is perceived in traffic situations and how risky driving behaviors are identified by using the perspective of both peers and passengers. Furthermore, this paper analyzes the perceived role of passengers and of group influences and/or pressure on young drivers' behaviors. The aim of this paper is rather exploratory. Three focus groups using young drivers and passengers (18-25 years) were used to collect data. Overall there were 20 drivers and 10 passengers who participated in this study (M = 22, SD= 1.7, 50\% men). The first result highlighted that both drivers and passengers considered speeding as dangerous. Aside speeding, drink driving, driving under the influence of drugs, unsignaled manoeuvres, risky overtaking, and not wearing seat belts, were also indicated as high risk driving behaviors by both drivers and passengers. Another result indicated that drivers were aware of the fact that peer passengers might try to influence their driving behavior, but they were confident that they can easily refuse to submit. On the other hand, peer passengers seemed confident that they can influence driver's behavior in both directions (toward both safe and dangerous driving). Peer passengers seemed to prefer verbal teasing and other verbal messages in order to obtain drivers' compliance, as these means were considered more convincing that non-verbal messages. Understanding young drivers' behaviors is the first step that needs to be taken before designing different interventions aimed at reducing their car crash involvement. Peers seem to play a significant role both in deterring and persuading young drivers to perform different risky behaviors. Therefore their role in traffic safety should be more carefully analyzed.
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