Young Drivers and Crashes Involvements: Frequency and Severity

Abstract

Young drivers are considering as most risky in driving compared to other age groups of drivers. Understanding the contributing factors affecting traffic crashes caused by young drivers leads to more effective actions for improving road safety. This paper aims to examine the contributing factor affecting the occurrence of young drivers’ crashes. Crash data from 2010 to 2015 has been collected from Abu Dhabi Traffic Police database. At-fault drivers aged between 18 to 24 years is defined as the young drivers in the analysis process. Descriptive statistics show that 23% of severe crashes are caused by young drivers. These crashes resulted 26% of the total fatalities of traffic crashes. Logistic regression model was developed to identify and quantify the variables that affect the occurrence of crashes related to young drivers. The model findings indicated that speeding, sudden lane changing and tailgating are the most caused of young drivers’ crashes. Young drivers are probably to be involved in multi-vehicle crashes and pedestrian-related crashes. Regarding the environmental factors, young drivers have higher risk at night and at intersections compared to older drivers.