The Impact of Adolescents' News and Action Movie Viewing on Risky Driving Behavior: A Longitudinal Study

Traffic crashes remain an important cause of injury and death among young people. The aim of the current study was to examine whether adolescents' viewing of particular television genres predicted later risky driving. Data were collected with a two‐wave panel survey (N = 426); structural equation modeling was used to examine the relationships between television viewing and self‐reported risky driving. Theoretically, the study was framed within cultivation theory and the theory of planned behavior. In line with the hypotheses, more news viewing appeared to be an indirect negative predictor of reckless driving, whereas more exposure to action programs was associated with more risk taking in traffic. This relationship was mediated by risk‐taking attitudes and intentions. The implications for prevention are discussed.