A questionnaire consisting of four inventories assessing anger/hostility, powerlessness, impulsiveness, stressful life events and alcohol effects on emotional expression was completed by 152 adolescent drivers with a mean age of 17.8 years. The 152 subjects were divided into three groups: group 1, high school students without DWI offenses; group 2, 16 to 21 year old DWI offenders; and group 3, juvenile offenders without DWI citations. The results are presented in seven tables and show that, as with adults, personality traits and expectations regarding the effects of alcohol may be associated with DWI and dangerous driving among youth and are likely to be important predictors of DWI with young drivers not yet cited or involved in a DWI. Adolescent DWI offenders and juvenile delinquents manifest considerably more anger/hostility, more often endorse feelings of powerlessness over their environment, have more negative life events than high school drivers without DWI offenses, and feel as though alcohol makes them more aggressive, daring, unafraid, and loud than the non-offenders. Understanding these personality traits and their relationship to dangerous driving can lead to better designed preventive DWI programs. 7 tables and 33 references (Author abstract modified)