CAR RIDING BEHAVIOR IN TELEVISION PROGRAMS WATCHED BY ADOLESCENTS IN THE US

Motor vehicle crashes are the number one cause of death for adolescents in the United States and a leading cause of death for adolescents around the world. This exploratory study used quantitative content analysis to assess car riding behavior messages in television programs popular with adolescents. The sample included three randomly selected episodes from the top 15 television programs watched by adolescents during the 2004-2005 television season. Three trained coders analyzed the programs to look for both safe and unsafe behaviors for car riding, such as wearing a seat belt, speeding, and driving while talking on a cell phone. Only 17% of drivers were clearly shown wearing a seat belt, but drunk driving only appeared in 3 incidents and cell phone use only occurred once. The study concludes that mixed messages are shown on television programs watched by adolescents regarding safe driving behavior, which has implications for potential media effects.