Age, exposure, and alcohol involvement in night crashes

This study compared driving in crashed patterns of young (age 16 to 25) drivers. The use of random samples of driving population is presented as an alternative exposure measurement technique. The high occurrence of young drivers in night, single vehicle crashes was found to be related to exposure, with two exceptions; drivers aged 16 to 18 were overinvolved in not alcohol-related crashes and drivers aged 18 to 21 were overinvolved in alcohol-related crashes. These over involvements are consistent with the assumption of a learning-to-drive and learning-to-drink-and-drive model of crash occurrence. Once these learning periods have passed, the high percentage of crash involvement for drivers aged 19 to 25 corresponds to hide driving exposure. The use of relative exposure is presented as a useful device for determining overinvolvement in crashes.