Traffic offenses, court charges, and repeated citations among teen drivers with traffic violations

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.55329/jwot3323

Keywords:

recidivism, speeding, teen drivers, traffic offenses

Abstract

Teen drivers with traffic violations are at high-risk for motor vehicle collisions (MVCs), yet this group is understudied. This study described traffic offenses, court charges (or dispositions), and repeated citations among teen drivers cited for traffic offenses, and examined factors associated with repeated citations. Deidentified traffic citation records for teen drivers ages 15–17, between January 2018 and May 2022, were obtained from Ohio's Franklin County Juvenile Traffic Court in the United States. Frequencies for demographics, traffic offenses, court charges, and repeated citations (e.g., citation tickets) were generated and compared using Chi-square tests and linear mixed models. The final sample included 5 364 unique teen drivers (62.2% were male) with 6232 unique traffic citation tickets (13.9% were repeated citations). The most common traffic offense was speeding (28.5%), while the most frequent court charge was being an adjudicated juvenile traffic offender (38.2%). The likelihood of repeated citations increased by 3.61 (95% CI: 2.76–4.73) per additional year of driver’s age. Males (OR = 1.78; 95% CI: 1.43–2.21) and speeding offenses (OR = 2.29, 95% CI: 1.77–2.96) had higher odds of receiving a repeated citation than their respective counterparts. Males were more likely to be traffic offenders and receive repeated citations compared to females, consistent with established research on sex-related differences in driving behaviors. Speeding, a known risk factor for MVC-related fatalities, was associated with greater odds of repeated citations. Understanding the characteristics of traffic violations is crucial for developing targeted interventions, especially for males and speeding offenders, to promote safe driving and mitigate MVC risk.

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Author Biographies

Priyanka Sridharan, Nationwide Children's Hospital, the United States of America

Priyanka Sridharan is a Senior Research Associate at the Center for Injury Research and Policy, Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. She received her MPH in Epidemiology from the George Washington University in 2023. Her research interests include pediatric injury prevention.

CRediT contribution: Conceptualization, Project administration, Visualization, Writing—original draft, Writing—review & editing.

Rebecca J. McAdams, Nationwide Children's Hospital, the United States of America

Rebecca McAdams is a chief research associate in the McKenzie Lab at the Center for Injury Research and Policy. Rebecca earned her Master of Public Health from The Ohio State University, where she studied epidemiology and health behavior/health promotion. She is currently a doctoral student in the Epidemiology department at the University of Pittsburgh. Her research interests include maternal and child health, such as pregnancy outcomes, postpartum mood disorders, pediatric safe sleep, and pediatric injury prevention.

CRediT contribution: Data curation, Formal analysis, Methodology, Writing—original draft, Writing—review & editing.

Saroj Bista, Nationwide Children's Hospital, the United States of America

Saroj Bista, PhD, MPH, BPharm, is a research scientist at the Center for Injury Research and Policy, Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. His research interests include understanding and addressing mental health, substance use, and the intersection with the criminal justice system. Dr. Bista is dedicated to advancing research that prevents injuries and fatalities, promoting public health and safety.

CRediT contribution: Writing—review & editing.

Dominique Rose, Nationwide Children's Hospital, the United States of America

Dominique M. Rose is a Research Scientist at the Center for Injury Research and Policy, at the Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and Injury Violence Prevention Policy Fellow with The Safe States Alliance. She received her MPH and Ph.D. in Public Health and Health Education from Southern Illinois University and received post-doctoral training with the Ruth L. Kirstein National Research Service Award focusing on Promoting Diversity in Health-Related Research at Case Western Reserve University. Her primary research interest is disparities related to injury prevention, with an emphasis on injuries to children and adolescents. Much of her current research seeks to understand the intersection of race/ethnicity, socioeconomic disparities, and teen driving safety. Funding for Dr. Rose’s work has been provided primarily through the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Diversity Supplement. This research includes studies that will examine the impact of racial and socioeconomic differences on parent-teen communication about teen driving safety, with a goal of engaging stakeholders in tailoring an intervention to better align with the needs of disadvantaged groups.

CRediT contribution: Writing—review & editing.

Corinne Peek-Asa, University of California, San Diego, the United States of America

Corinne Peek-Asa, Ph.D. is the Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation and Professor with Distinction of Epidemiology at the University of California, San Diego. Dr. Peek-Asa’s research focuses on the epidemiology and prevention of traumatic injuries and violence. She is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine and co-chairs the National Academies Accelerating Research in Traumatic Brain Injury Forum.

CRediT contribution: Writing—review & editing.

Jingzhen Yang, Nationwide Children's Hospital, the United States of America | The Ohio State University, the United States of America

Jingzhen (Ginger) Yang is the Principal Investigator at the Center for Injury Research and Policy. She is also Professor of Pediatrics and Epidemiology at the Ohio State University. Her primary research is focused on injury prevention and control in children and adolescents.

CRediT contribution: Conceptualization, Funding acquisition, Investigation, Resources, Supervision, Writing—original draft, Writing—review & editing.

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Published

2025-10-10

How to Cite

Sridharan, P., McAdams, R. J., Bista, S., Rose, D., Peek-Asa, C., & Yang, J. (2025). Traffic offenses, court charges, and repeated citations among teen drivers with traffic violations. Traffic Safety Research, 9, e000112. https://doi.org/10.55329/jwot3323