Grant: Operating Grant

The World Health Organization has identified traffic crashes as the main cause of morbidity and mortality for teenagers and young adults. Among the many risk factors that contribute to their crash involvement, two are critical: peer passenger presence, which is unique to young drivers, and the influence of alcohol, a universal risk for drivers but one against which young drivers are most susceptible. While current countermeasures do reduce some driving risks, the ongoing carnage among young people demonstrates that more effective intervention is required. As a first step to achieve this goal, clarification of how passenger presence interacts with alcohol consumption to increase risk is needed. Unfortunately, the breadth of knowledge in this area is severely limited. Using driving simulation and a random assignment experimental design with a sample of 18-19 year old male and female drivers, we directly observe the impact of experimentally manipulated passenger characteristics and alcohol quantity on risky driving. Via further exploratory analyses, we investigate the contribution of individual high-risk characteristics (e.g., high sensation seeking, low resistance to peer pressure) to the alcohol-passenger risk interaction. Pragmatically, this study will inform refinement of current programs (e.g., parent-focused prevention programs and brief motivational interventions), as well as the development of other more novel approaches (e.g., in-vehicle technology) to reduce risk. The results will also guide evidence-informed policy-making by clarifying the impact of passenger limits in the context of a common condition in young drivers - the consumption of alcohol. Overall, the ultimate objective of this study is to reduce risky driving in young drivers, thereby increasing traffic safety for all.