Driving Among Urban, Suburban and Rural Youth in California

Improving safety among young drivers depends partly on a full understanding of the experiences and needs of those young people. Driving practices and experiences may vary significantly between rural, suburban and urban youth, but these differences have been little explored. The availability of public transportation, travel distances, demographic differences and other factors could lead to variations in driving behaviors among urban, suburban, and rural youth. This descriptive analysis examined differences in driving experiences and behaviors between youth who live in large metropolitan communities compared with those living in suburbs and rural areas. Results showed that urban youth were significantly less likely to be licensed than youth in suburban or rural areas, and that was associated with significant variation both in reported amount of time driving and in the likelihood of driving unlicensed. In general, rural and suburban youth reported spending more time behind the wheel, and were also more likely than urban youth to report risk behaviors associated with driving such as reckless driving or driving after using alcohol. These results provide support for targeted education and enforcement measures to improve safety among young drivers.