Risky Driving Behavior in Young Adults

Young adults aged 18-24 account for a disproportionate number of motor vehicle accidents, yet the factors that contribute to increased crash risk are not often studied in this age group. Retrospective studies of crashes have found that risky driving behavior contributes to a large percentage of crashes, and certain risky behaviors have been found to differentiate the driving behavior of young adults from those who are 25 and above. Measures of risky decision making have been found to predict other types of risk taking behavior, such as drug use and risky sexual behavior. However, few studies have related this construct directly to driving behaviors in young adults. Similarly, executive functioning has been hypothesized be involved in crash and increased driving errors in this age group, yet reliance on retrospective studies of crash has prevented driving research from relating executive functions to driving behavior. The present study sought to remedy these gaps in the literature by investigating the relationship between decision making, executive functioning, and performance on a risky driving task. Forty-nine young adults completed a measure of general risky decision making propensity and neuropsychological testing of executive functions. They then completed a baseline drive and a challenging simulated driving task, the Risky Driving Task, in which they had the choice to compromise their driving behavior in order to receive a reward. Results of a global measure of driving behavior showed participants' driving was riskier in the Risky Driving Task than in the baseline drive. Specifically, participants drove faster in the Risky Driving Task. When risky decision making and executive functioning correlates of risky driving behaviors in the Risky Driving Task were examined, greater risky decision making propensity predicted higher speeds in a curved residential segment. Executive functioning measures were not predictive of risky driving behaviors. Results are considered within the context of both transportation and developmental neuroscience literature on risk taking behavior in young adults.