Sydney: Risky driving habits are more likely to injure or kill youths in car crashes than older drivers, said a study based on a survey of 20,000 young drivers.
Researchers at The George Institute investigated the relationship between risky driving behaviour, risk perception and the risk of crash.
They reported that young drivers who had a poor risk perception or an inability to recognise driving risks were more likely to crash.
However, those who did have a good understanding, but undertook risky driving behaviour when they were behind the wheel, still had a much greater likelihood of crashing.
"The research evidence shows that these behaviours are significant contributors to road crashes, particularly among young drivers who are still building their road skills in the first year of driving," said study author Rebecca Ivers, associate professor at The George Institute.
"The key finding in our study was that we discovered the main contributor to crashes is actual behaviours when young drivers are behind the wheel - not their perceptions or attitudes about safety," she added.
Statistics show that young drivers are more likely to be injured or killed in car crashes than older drivers. Young drivers remain overrepresented in road traffic fatalities, showing that young driver safety is a significant public health issue.
Risky driving behaviours included speeding, carrying multiple passengers, listening to loud music and text messaging while driving, said a George Institute release.
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