Traffic safety risks among adolescent ATV users in Norway

ABSTRACT. ATVs (All-terrain vehicles) are commonly used by adolescents in rural Norway, but there has been little research on users’ driving behaviour and accident rate. This project seeks to investigate common traits of their ATV use and how social norms affect risk taking behaviour. Research on ATV use from several countries shows a high accident rate with severe injuries and fatalities, both for work-related use and leisure use, and the majority of victims are male (Lin & Blessing, 2018; Lower, Peachey, & Fragar, 2022). Studies show that young drivers tend to overestimate their driving skills (Cestac, Paran, & Delhomme, 2014), and to underestimate the risk of ATV use (Adams, Aitken, Mullins, Miller, & Graham, 2013). Teenagers, particularly males, are more prone to risk-taking behaviour than adults (Denning & Jennissen, 2016), and peer pressure and group norms are important factors (Nilsson, 2016). The data in this study consist of focus group interviews with young ATV-users and their parents in separate sessions at five different locations in small towns and rural areas with a high rate of ATV-use. The interviews dealt with their opinions about safety, driving behaviour, modifying the ATVs, and social aspects of ATV use. Preliminary analysis suggests that it is common to modify the ATV to make it go faster than the law permits. The informants thought this was safer, to avoid dangerous overtakes from cars when driving on public roads. Their fathers seem to be more aware of this than their mothers, but don’t see it as a problem. The purpose of the project is to contribute to the development of safety courses and other safety measures for ATV users and to give advice on public regulations