Driving practices, risk-taking motivations, and alcohol use among adolescent drivers: a pilot study.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To explore risk-taking motivations, driving practices, and alcohol use in rural adolescent drivers. DESIGN: Descriptive correlational study, that used three self-administered questionnaires: Risk Taking Questionnaire, Driving Practices Questionnaire, and Short Michigan Alcohol Screening Test. METHODS: Test instruments were administered to 23 adolescent drivers, aged 16 to 18 years, recruited by school guidance counselors. RESULTS: Risky driving practices were associated with alcohol use (r = 0.73) and greater risk-taking motivations (r = 0.75). The mean score on the Short Michigan Alcohol Screening Test (4.23) reflected alcoholic tendencies. Male gender was moderately associated with risky driving practice (r = 0.54). CONCLUSION: Drinking alcohol and risky driving may represent a broader risk-taking syndrome. In identifying injury-susceptible individuals, gender may be less useful than identification of driving practices. Injury alone may an indicator of risk-taking behavior, but when injury is combined with alcohol use the index of suspicion increases. Emergency nurses can screen injured adolescents for risk-taking motivations and discuss injury history and perceived injury susceptibility. Awareness is the first step in initiating self-protective measures.