Television socialization and risky driving by teenagers

Abstract

Television is considered to be an influential force across many domains of adolescent attitudes and behaviors, such as aggressiveness, substance abuse, sexuality, gender roles, politics, and materialism. However, the role of TV messages in informally socializing youthful drivers has been largely overlooked by investigators studying both media effects and risky driving (although some research attention has focused on purposive messages such as drunk driving public service campaigns). Due to the paucity of empirical evidence relating television viewing to risky driving, this paper will emphasize theoretically based predictions of the likely effects of entertainment and commercial advertising content on teenagers, focusing on drunk driving and riding behavior, safety belt buckling, social intervention to prevent drunk driving, and perceptions of normative practices involving risky driving, drinking patterns, and safety belt usage. Relevant data from the author's research will be introduced at several points to provide preliminary findings on the subjects of (a) the impact of alcohol advertising on drinking and driving, (b) the effects of entertainment programming on drunk driving intervention orientations, and (c) high-risk driving and safety belt portrayals in prime-time television content.