Unlicensed driving among California high school seniors

Purpose. To learn more about driving practices among high school students who drive unlicensed.

Methods. We surveyed 1,943 high school seniors in 12 schools around California on driving and driver's education.

Results. About 13 percent of students (n=250) said they were driving although they reported having neither a driver's license nor a driving permit; about 65 percent of students had either a license or a permit, and the remainder said they did not drive. Most illegal drivers (57%) were male, and two-thirds were Latino; some said they were undocumented so could not obtain a license. The mean number of hours per week driven did not differ significantly between licensed and unlicensed drivers. Unlicensed drivers were less likely than legal drivers to report driving to school or to work, and reported fewer rules from parents about their driving. Legal drivers were significantly more likely than unlicensed drivers to report having been in a crash (22% vs. 15%), and legal drivers more frequently drove with friends in the car or after 11 pm; however, unlicensed drivers were more likely to report being distracted while driving. Licensed and unlicensed drivers were equally likely to report driving after drinking or drug use, but unlicensed drivers were more likely to report being a passenger of a drunk or drugged driver.

Conclusions. A significant number of California's high school seniors are driving illegally. They report fewer crashes than other students, but their rates of other dangerous driving behaviors are similar to those of legally driving students.