![]() ![]() Young drivers are overrepresented in traffic fatalities, and they have been at the centre of many crash focused studies. In other words, this study is undertaken from a positive point of view, and it presents and uses the first positive definition of road safety. Although the majority of literature on traffic safety concentrates on crashes, crash risk, and aberrant driving behaviour, this research concentrates on people and safe driving styles. In doing so, it aspires to strengthen the focus on road safety instead of road unsafety. This thesis explores the relationship between thinking and driving styles and their contribution to young driver road safety. Multiple regression analyses found differences in the demographic and psychological variables related to these four factors, suggesting that interventions in one reckless driving domain may not be helpful in others. Confirmatory factor analysis of data collected from a separate, community sample confirmed this four-factor structure. ![]() Exploratory factor analysis of self-reported driving data revealed four, conceptually distinct categories of reckless driving behaviour: those that increase crash-risk due to (a) distractions or deficits in perception, attention or reaction time (labelled “distracted”), (b) driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol (labelled “substance-use”), (c) placing the vehicle in an unsafe environment beyond its design expectations (labelled “extreme”), and (d) speed and positioning of the vehicle relative to other vehicles and objects (labelled “positioning”). ![]() To combat these shortcomings, this paper reports the development and preliminary validation of a new measure of reckless driving behaviour for young drivers. Three major shortcomings apparent in established measures of driver behaviour are that they do not target the full range of reckless driving behaviours, they measure characteristics other than driving behaviours, and/or they fail to categorise and label reckless driver behaviour based on characteristics of the behaviours themselves. While further research into the nature and impact of reckless driving, particularly among young people, is urgently needed, the measurement of reckless driving behaviour also requires increased attention. Reckless driving is a major contributing factor to road morbidity and mortality. ![]()
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