Can I take the car? Relations among parenting practices and adolescent problem-driving practices

The goal of this study was to examine relations among problem-driving pract ices and parenting practices. Three hundred adolescents licensed 2 years or less were interviewed about driving behaviors, parenting practices, and or ientations toward deviance Factors significantly related to risky driving b ehaviors, traffic violations, and motor vehicle crashes included lower leve ls of parental monitoring and control and lenient parental restrictions on driving (i.e., friends as passengers and driving curfews). Parental monitor ing was among the subset of variables most useful in predicting risky drivi ng behaviors. Violations were 4 times more likely with lenient restrictions related to frequency of friends as passengers and 2 times more likely with low parental control. Crashes were 7 rimes more likely with lenient restri ctions related to frequency of friends as passengers. Overall, the findings suggest that adolescent problem driving is related to parenting practices.