FAMILIAL VERSUS INSTITUTIONAL SOCIALIZATION OF THE YOUNG TRAFFIC OFFENDER

THE DRIVING RECORDS, ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE AND POLICE CONTACTS OF 8094 MALE UNDERGRADUATES AT A LARGE STATE UNIVERSITY WERE ANALYZED AND EACH STUDENTS HISTORY OF TRAFFIC CONVICTIONS AND CRASHES WAS COMPARED WITH THAT OF HIS FATHER. THE POSITIVE CORRELATION FOUND BETWEEN FATHERS AND SONS CONVICTION INCIDENCE SUPPORTS THE HYPOTHESIS THAT DRIVING BEHAVIOR IS LEARNED MORE THROUGH FAMILIAL THAN THROUGH INSTITUTIONAL SOCIALIZATION AND THAT DELIQUENT FAMILIAL SOICALIZATION RESULTS IN DELINQUENT TRAFFIC BEHAVIOR. THIS IS FURTHER SUPPORTED BY THE FINDINGS THAT THE STUDENT WITH NUMEROUS TRAFFIC CONVICTIONS IS DELINQUENT IN OTHER RESPECTS: (1) HIS ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IS POORER THAN THAT OF HIS CONVICTION-FREE PEERS AND POORER THAN HIS OWN CAPABILITIES PERMIT AND (2) HE IS INVOLVED IN MORE NONVEHICULAR OFFENSES THAN THE STUDENT WITHOUT TRAFFIC CONVICTIONS. /AUTHOR/