How Age, Driving Experience, and Gender Interact in Predicting Dangerous Driving Behavior

While increasing age has been consistently associated with a safer driving style, the role of driving experience and its interplay with age remains insufficiently understood. Using a large community-based sample of drivers, this study aimed to clarify the relative, joint, and interactive contributions of age, driving experience, and gender to the propensity to engage in dangerous driving behaviors. The frequency of such behaviors was assessed using the Dula Dangerous Driving Index (DDDI). The sample included 1,882 drivers (50.9% men) with a mean age of 38.11 years (range 18–79), a mean driving experience of 15.94 years, and a mean annual mileage of 6,000–9,000 km. Results indicated that increasing age was associated with a reduced propensity for dangerous driving behavior, but only after sufficient driving experience had been acquired. Furthermore, greater driving experience predicted higher dangerous driving behavior in younger and middle-aged drivers, while remaining unrelated in older drivers. Notably, this pattern was more pronounced among men than women. The observed interaction may be explained by the fact that novice drivers, regardless of age, possess lower driving skills due to their limited experience, which may encourage a more cautious driving style, offsetting the greater risk-taking typically observed in youth. However, once sufficient experience is gained, younger drivers demonstrate a marked tendency toward greater risk-taking behavior. These findings emphasize the need for multifactorial approaches that account for the interactions among contributing variables to guide the implementation of effective road-safety measures.