Young Drivers Speeding Intentions and Behaviors Essay

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Gheorghiu, Delhomme & Felonneau (2015) conducted a study in which they examined how the speeding behaviors of young drivers are fueled by peer pressure and risk tasking. The study was conducted on the premise that teenagers and young adults are known for their increased engagement in risky behaviors unlike other age groups. While numerous efforts have been undertaken to understand the behavior and countermeasures for this age group, increased involvement in risky behaviors like speedy driving is common among them. Based on recent surveys, the crash rates of teenagers and young drivers are particularly high when they are driving in the presence of peer passengers as compared to when they are alone. Therefore, examining the influence of peer pressure and risk taking of teenagers and young adults' speeding behavior is an important issue of study. The study helps in determining the psychological factors brought by peer pressure and risk taking behaviors, which contribute to speeding and increased rates of car crashes among this population.

The Research Question



The main issue the authors are trying to investigate in this research is the influence of peer pressure and risk taking on the perceived speeding behaviors and perceived intentions of speeding of teenagers and young adults. The authors recognize that previous studies on the relationship between peer pressure type and speeding have demonstrated that peer pressure type has no impact on a young driver's speeding intentions. However, previous studies have shown that there is a positive link between passive pressure type and has huge impacts on speeding intentions in comparison to active pressure. Therefore, this present study sought to investigate issues of whether and in which situations peer passengers influence/change the estimated behavior of a young driver. In this regard, the researchers focus on establishing the impact of peer pressure and peer risk taking in certain situations on young drivers' perceived speeding behavior and intentions. Based on this, the research question for this study is, "How does peer pressure and risk taking influence young adults' speeding intentions and behaviors?"

Hypotheses



As shown in the introduction segment of the article, these researchers argued that passive peer pressure type has a major impact on speeding intentions instead of active pressure. In this case, the perceived peer pressure type is driven by the assumption that the perceived norms from the driver's peers have significant effects on his/her behavior. Based on this, the researchers formulated three hypotheses that would be tested in the study. First, these researchers hypothesized that passive peer pressure would contribute to high levels of estimated speeding behavior of the scenario driver (ESBSD) and estimated intention to speed of the scenario driver (ESISD) than active pressure (Gheorghiu, Delhomme & Felonneau, 2015). Secondly, the expected the study to demonstrate that peers' risk taking level has a major impact on ESBSD and ESISD; high risk taking peers would have greater ESBSD and ESISD.

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Third, the researchers expected to show that passive peer pressure among high risk taking peers generates greater ESBSD and ESISD and active peer pressure (direct and indirect) among low risk taking peers generates the lowest ESBSD and ESISD.

Theoretical Framework



Even though the study does not specify the theoretical framework that was utilized by the researchers to explain or justify the hypotheses, they relied on the findings of previous studies to formulate these hypotheses. The researchers relied on studies conducted by Sela-Shayovitz (2008) and Simons-Morton et al., 2011) to justify or explain their research hypotheses. Sela -- Shayovitz (2008) conducted a study that examined the perceptions of peer pressure among young drivers, driving under influence of alcohol and other substances, and engagement in road accidents. On the other hand, Simons-Morton et al. (2011) conducted a research that examined the impact of passengers and risk-taking peers on risk driving behaviors and crashes or near crashes among teenagers/young adults. The findings of these two were utilized as the justifications for the hypotheses formulated and tested by these researchers.



In addition to utilizing these studies' findings as the premise for the hypotheses, the authors also utilized the Theory of Planned Behavior as the basis for carrying out the research. The Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) is a theory in the field of psychology that links an individual's belief to his/her behaviors. According to LaMorte (2016), this theory has been successfully utilized to forecast and explain a series of health intentions and behaviors such as drinking, substance use, and smoking. The theory postulates that behavioral achievement is usually dependent on motivation (intention) and capability (behavioral control). The six constructs underlying the Theory of Planned Behavior are attitudes, intentions, subjective norms, social norms, perceived power, and perceived behavioral control (Ajzen, 1991). In this study, the researchers examined these three constructs in relation to speeding intentions and speeding behaviors of young drivers. The hypotheses were formulated, justified, and tested based on these six constructs of the Theory of Planned Behavior.

General Methodology



The researchers utilized a quantitative research methodology to test the hypotheses and establish the link between peer pressure and risk taking and the speeding behavior and intentions of young drivers. This quantitative study was conducted on a group of 180 young French drivers aged between 18 and 25 years. There was an even number of male and female participants in this study, which helped in lessening the probability of gender influence on the study results. This quantitative research was a quasi-experimental study in which a fictional young male driver was chosen….....

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References

Ajzen, I. (1991). The Theory of Planned Behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 50(2), 179 -- 211.

Gheorghiu, A., Delhomme, P. & Felonneau, M.L. (2015, October 24). Peer Pressure and Risk Taking in Young Drivers' Speeding Behavior. Transportation Research Part F, 35, 101-111.

LaMorte, W.W. (2016, April 28). The Theory of Planned Behavior. Retrieved from Boston University School of Public Health website: http://sphweb.bumc.bu.edu/otlt/MPH-Modules/SB/BehavioralChangeTheories/BehavioralChangeTheories3.html

Sela-Shayovitz, R. (2008). Young Drivers' Perceptions of Peer Pressure, Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol and Drugs, and Involvement in Road Accidents. Criminal Justice Studies, 21(1), 3 -- 14. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14786010801972639.

Simons-Morton, B. G., Ouimet, M. C., Zhang, Z., Klauer, S. E., Lee, S. E., Wang, J., et al. (2011). The Effect of Passengers and Risk-taking Friends on Risky Driving and Crashes/Near Crashes Among Novice Teenagers. The Journal of Adolescent Health: Official Publication of the Society for Adolescent Medicine, 49(6), 587 -- 593.

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