Results
Sample characteristics are available in Table 1. Six key themes emerged. These were: social driving, driving experience, interest in motor vehicles, risky driving behaviour, perception of driving ability, and emotional distress.
Social Driving
A particular theme arising from the thematic analysis was what we have termed "social driving". This term has been used to encompass a group of related behaviours, and included: driving as a social event in itself (i.e. without a pre-specified destination); driving to or from a social event; driving with accompanying passengers; driving late at night; driving where alcohol or drugs were a feature of the journey).
The majority of young drivers were found to be engaged in social driving behaviour prior to, or at the time of, the collision. Many individuals were reportedly travelling with friends to or from a social event, and some of the young people were driving without a specific purpose or destination. Driving without a specific destination appeared to be a specific social activity, allowing the young people to meet up in their cars and socialise together, often occurring at night:
"He had a hectic social life and almost seemed to be out of the house more than in… once he passed his driving test [Case 30] would travel around with his friends."
Case 30, Driver, Male
"Usually every weekend I'll get a call about 2 or 3 o'clock in the morning…saying "Can you come get me?"… So I get up and go and pick them up straight away."
Case 4, Driver, Male
Nine cases of social driving were from cars which contained at least one passenger. In one case, a driver was transporting passengers home from a social event in the early hours of the morning. The passengers were in high spirits, and were reportedly distracting the driver throughout the journey. The police report stated:
"…that they had been messing about in the back of the car, trying to put their hands over his eyes and slapping his face while he was driving."
Case 4, Driver, Male
Driving Experience
A number of cases involved people with very limited driving experience, with many passing their driving test within the year prior to their collision. In one case, the driver had only passed their test on the previous day.
One police report stated:
"The driver had limited experience as a driver, having passed his test three months prior to this incident…The driver was confronted with another driver, coupled with a situation that he reacted harshly to, which caused him to lose control of his vehicle."
Case 18, Driver, Male
In contrast, some individuals were relatively experienced drivers given their age. In six cases, driving experience had been obtained through choice of career as a vehicle driver. One parent reported:
"He had licences in CBT/ATV/HGV and trailer tractors as well as a car. He had a couple of specialist licences, such as forklift and cherry picker."
Case 3, Driver, Male
Some drivers had limited experience with their vehicle. Over one quarter of cases had been driving the vehicle in which they had their collision for a short time only (weeks or months). In one case, the vehicle had been purchased on the day before their collision. In another case, the driver had recently bought a new vehicle with a large engine size. The driver's friend commented:
"Approximately 6 to 8 weeks ago [he] purchased a 2.2 litre… he only passed his driving test about 12 months ago."
Case 12, Driver, Male
Interest in Motor Vehicles
Many young people had a particular interest in motor vehicles. There were several examples when an individual reportedly spent time caring for their vehicle, making sure it was kept in a good quality condition, both aesthetically and mechanically. There were also reports of vehicle modification. In one case, a car had been modified from a 1400 cc engine to a 1600 cc engine. In one statement, a colleague of the deceased reported:
"He always talked about his car and how he loved to drive it"
Case 12, Driver, Male
In another example, a Mother stated:
"It has surprised me that [Case 15] has died as a result of a car accident as she would not wish to damage her car in any way. Her car was her pride and joy. She was that particular she would even pick parking spaces away from other vehicles so that it wouldn't get marked or damaged."
Case 15, Driver, Female
Risky Driving Behaviour
Dangerous driving behaviour was identified in the majority of cases. This included: driving at speed, tailgating, racing friends and undertaking hazardous overtaking manoeuvres. Notably, excessive speed was referred to in nearly all cases. In one statement, a witness commented:
"My first impression was that it was travelling far too fast to negotiate the bend safely….I could see his hands turning the steering wheel to his right in a large movement, his whole body movement and body language gave me the impression of panic."
Case 28, Driver, Male
In three cases, it was noted that male driving style may be affected by the presence of other males in the car, causing them to behave differently to normal. In one case, a female friend commented:
"He always drove safely with me in the car. [Case 18] had mentioned that he drove faster when he had the lads in the car. I had not experienced him driving excessively fast myself."
Case 18, Driver, Male
Perception of Driving Ability
There was a sense of overconfidence and an inflated view of driving skills and ability among many cases. One case concerned two cars that were involved in a race. On interviewing the male driver of the second car, who was unharmed, the police reported:
"… He agreed that he had been driving 2 to 3 car lengths behind [Case 15] at approximately 80 mph. He did not consider this to be an unsafe following distance."
Case 15, Driver, Female
In another example, a rear-seat passenger stated:
"I also saw at least one large arrow shape, indicated to our left. I knew this to mean that we should stay on our own side of the road. [Front seat passenger] was shouting "[Case25] , what are you doing you are not going to make that" or similar. I became aware that we were now on the offside of the road…As this was happening I heard [Front seat passenger] shout a second time. This sounded much more urgent than before as he said, "we're not going to make that"."
Case 25, Driver, Male
The perception of driving ability was linked to a lack of adherence to safety regulations. Although the majority of young people observed safety regulations, the decision not to wear a seatbelt or helmet suggests that such drivers were confident in their ability to drive without incident. In one case, despite being involved in a collision in the week leading up to his death, the driver chose not to wear a seatbelt, as described by a friend:
"I can say that [Case 13] was not in the habit of wearing a seatbelt as he found it too restrictive. I had asked him if he was wearing one when he hit the van [referring to prior collision] . He said he had not but had been able to brace himself on that occasion against the steering wheel."
Case 13, Driver, Male
There were many instances where statements contained others' perceptions of the driver's driving ability. People's perceptions of the deceased's driving ability were shown to differ; in some statements, people were highly complementary, while other statements highlighted a less favourable view, and in some cases were visibly critical of the deceased's driving ability. The majority of statements presented a positive perception of the driving ability of the deceased. This is interesting, given the knowledge that many collisions were associated with risky or dangerous driving behaviour. The partner of one individual reported:
"[Case 24] was an excellent driver especially considering that he was still young and didn't have a lot of experience. He never drove fast with me or [their baby] in the car and certainly wouldn't do if the roads were potentially risky. He constantly talked about other accidents he'd seen to and from work, which always reassured me that he'd drive safely."
Case 24, Driver, Male
However, other statements were not so positive. One father reported of his son:
"He was in my eyes a typical young driver. He had a few bumps and things. I would say he was a confident driver but at times over confident. He sometimes drove and I would say stop, drop me off. I think his driving just needed maturity."
Case 21, Driver, Male
Emotional Distress
In our study emotional distress immediately prior to the RTC was identified in over one quarter of the cases. This mainly referred to family or personal relationship problems, or financial difficulties, issues which may have distracted the driver from their driving role. In one case, a driver was struggling to cope with relationship and financial demands. As one police report stated:
"It is highly likely on the evidence available that [Case 24] was in a hurry to get home…it is possible there were other things on his mind, for example the issue of the rent on his flat."
Case 24, Driver, Male
A further statement, provided by the mother of the deceased reported:
"[Case 24's]… relationship with… [His girlfriend] was very rocky throughout the time they were together. On the Sunday before the accident he was at our house with all of his stuff saying that he'd had enough of his relationship with… [his girlfriend] and wanted to return home."
Case 24, Driver, Male
Relationship difficulties were identified from a further 6 cases. In one passenger fatality a police report stated:
"[The driver] is married and [Case 9] has recently separated from her long term boyfriend. [The driver] and [Case 9] have been involved in a relationship for some weeks preceding the collision. [The driver] had informed his wife of his affair on [the day prior to the collision] when his wife asked him to leave their marital home."
Case 9, Passenger, Female