Street racing among the Ontario adult population: Prevalence and association with collision risk.

Background: Street racing has been identified as a significant public health concern, yet, little is known about the prevalence of this behaviour and its impact on collision risk. The current study was designed to address this dearth of knowledge by estimating the prevalence of street racing among the Ontario, Canada adult population, and examining its association to collision risk, controlling for demographics and other risk factors.

Methods: Data were based on telephone interviews with 11,263 respondents derived from the 2009-2014 cycles of the CAMH Monitor, an ongoing cross-sectional survey of adults aged 18+ years. A hierarchical-entry binary logistic regression analysis of collision involvement in the previous 12 months was conducted and included measures of street racing, demographic characteristics (sex, age, marital status, education, income, region), driving exposure, and driving after use of alcohol and use of cannabis.

Results: The prevalence of street racing was 0.9%. Based on univariate analyses, street racing was more prevalent among males (1.30%; p<.01) and those aged 18-25 years (2.61%; p<.001). Controlling for demographic characteristics, driving exposure, and driving after use of alcohol and use of cannabis, self-reported street racing significantly increased the odds of a crash (OR=5.23, p<.001).

Discussion: A small but significant percentage of adult drivers in Ontario reported engaging in street racing. Even after adjusting for demographics, driving exposure, and driving after use of alcohol and use of cannabis, street racers faced more than a five-fold increase in the odds of a crash. Program and policy options must be considered to target this contingent.