Citation

Kaiser G. Blutalkohol 1978; 15(2): 65-81.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1978, International Committee on Alcohol, Drugs and Traffic Safety and Bund gegen Alkohol und Drogen im Straßenverkehr, Publisher Steintor Verlag)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Considering that yearly 50,000 juveniles are sentenced as traffic offenders, and 120,000 persons under the age of 21 are involved in road accidents as motor vehicle drivers, it is astonishing that the young traffic offender has been neglected as a scientific object. The position of the juvenile traffic offender is characterised by the merging of several specific-role and age conflicts with the initial acquisition of experience by active participation in the motorized road traffic. Accordingly, several youth-specific types and causes of accidents can be determined. These include the high rate of the under 18s involved in bicycle accidents and the proportionally high rate of accidents due to speed, which frequently happen under alcohol influence. In particular, traffic offences such as driving without a licence, culpable homicide and driving while intoxicated have increased during the last years. Problems relative to the typology of young traffic offenders leads to the differentiation between 'good' and 'bad' drivers in relation to the personality and to social characteristics such as familial atmosphere, ambition and risk potential. These attributes, however, do not offer criteria for differentiation. The willingness to comply with the rules of social life is as yet not strongly developed in juvenile traffic offenders, as is also the case with offenders in general. The sanctioning practice against young traffic offenders shows a tendency towards a more frequent application of non-institutional measures. The expectations are that the trend towards preventive measures through education and behavioural training will, at an early stage, have a more beneficial influence on the juvenile traffic offender.