Risky Driving Habits

Discussion Although our study may indicate a correlation between all these variables, it would not be able to explain why there is a correlation between them. If our hypothesis about the correlation between heavy drinking and a higher chance of driving while intoxicated is supported, this could be interpreted and explained in many ways. One potential explanation could be that if people are heavy drinkers, they may be so intoxicated that they no longer have a sense or moral judgment, leading them to get into a vehicle and operate it while intoxicated. Another explanation can be that heavier drinking may indicate a higher rate of impulsivity for the individual, as described by the study on the effects of impulsivity (Moan et al., 2013). Someone
If our hypothesis about dangerous driving patterns and drunk driving is correct, this could also potentially be explained by individuals being more impulsive. If they are impulsive enough to engage in other dangerous driving behaviors, then they therefore might be risky enough to attempt driving while intoxicated. Another explanation could be that if individuals feel confident that they are good drivers even when they engage in other dangerous driving patterns (i.e., driving while using a cellphone), then they may feel confident in themselves that they are capable of operating a vehicle while intoxicated as well. Given these were the results, they would go hand-in-hand with the findings from Risky driving habits and motor vehicle driver injury (Blows et al., 2005), because the study they conducted also concluded that a consistency of dangerous driving behaviors correlates with driving while under the influence of alcohol, and this would also help support our hypothesis. Finally, if our hypothesis that individuals who are both heavy drinkers and risky drivers is supported, this can also be explained for
The biggest limitation is that we are using a correlational analysis. While this is a good way of seeing if there is some sort of relationship between variables, it does not explain causation. We do not know if one variable causes the other, and there is also a big risk of confounding variables or a third variable that causes the two variables to correlate to one another. So while we can say that there is a significant correlation between several variables, it is not safe to conclude what is the cause of the correlation between them. There are other potential limitations regarding the participant’s responses to our questionnaire that could also affect the study. Although we will be giving a form for the participants sign that ensures that there are no consequences of being completely honest about their past actions, not everyone will admit to things they have done. Since we are dealing with responses about illegal actions such as reckless driving, driving while under the influence, underage drinking, etc., participants may not be totally honest with their responses. They may fear they will somehow get in trouble for being honest despite us ensuring they will not, and they may want to give socially desirable answers, and therefore may be hesitant to admitting things that they shouldn’t have done. There is also the possibility that individuals may say they haven’t