Vehicles driven by teenagers in four states

Teenage drivers and their parents were surveyed in Connecticut, Delaware, N ew Jersey, and New York as part of a four-year longitudinal study of the li censing process and driving activities of high school students. Compared wi th all vehicles registered in the four study states, teenagers were more li kely to drive older and smaller vehicles. Safety factors were rarely mentio ned by parents as a reason for selecting the vehicles driven by their teena gers. Teenagers considered to be the owners of the vehicles they drive were more likely than nonowners to drive older and smaller cars. Owners drove m ore than nonowners and had a higher crash rate. Owners also were more devia nt in terms of psychosocial characteristics, indicating a proclivity for ri sky behavior. Limiting vehicle ownership for newly licensed drivers would d ecrease crash involvement. (C) 1999 National Safety Council and Elsevier Sc ience Ltd.