Hazard anticipation of young novice drivers - SWOV

2.4.2. Peer group influences
In adolescence, reckless behaviour most of the times does not take place if a
person is alone. The general opinion is that especially during adolescence
peers promote and reward (with praise and esteem) each other's reckless
behaviour. One explanation could be that reckless behaviour promoted by
friends fortifies the bond between these friends. Arnett (1992) however
warns for causal interpretations. It could be that adolescents like everybody
else choose their friends on the basis of characteristics they have in common.
A common characteristic could be sensation seeking. If this is the case,
reckless behaviour is not so much the result of group dynamics, but the
result of a common trait in members of the group.
Passengers can strongly influence the behaviour of the driver. They can
distract the driver (e.g. by having a conversation with the driver) and they
can also stimulate certain driver behaviour. They can encourage the driver to
take risks (e.g. 'Show us how fast this car is'), but they can also reduce the
risk taking tendencies of the driver. The latter is the case when a passenger
makes the driver feel that she or he is responsible for the life of the
passenger. In various studies not conducted in Europe it was found that
crash rate increased in the presence of passengers (e.g. Chen et al., 2000;
Doherty, Andrey, & MacGregor, 1998; Preusser, Ferguson, & Williams, 1998).
The more occupants in the car and the younger the age of the driver, the
higher the crash rate was (Williams, 2003). However in two studies carried
out in Europe (Spain and Sweden) no increased crash rate was found when
young drivers were in the presence of passengers (Engström et al., 2008;
Rueda-Domingo et al., 2004). The licensing age in the United States, Canada,
Australia and New Zealand often 16 is and in some states even younger. In
most countries in Europe, the licensing age most often is 18. The difference in
results could have been caused by the age of the novice driver. However, it is
not only the age of the driver that matters but also the age of the passenger(s)
and the gender of both the driver and the passenger(s). Chen et al. (2000)
found a higher crash rate for both young male novice drivers and young
female novice drivers only when the passenger was male. Simons-Morton,
Lerner, & Singer (2005) observed cars that left parking lots. They identified
the gender of the driver and passenger if present and assessed their ages.
Young novice drivers of both sexes drove faster than the general traffic and
followed other vehicles more closely. This effect was stronger for young
drivers (of both sexes) in the presence of a male teenage passenger. When
young novice male drivers drove in the presence of a female teenage
passenger, headways were longer. A problem with all studies about the
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