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Road policing is a key method used to improve driver compliance with road laws. However, the authors have a very limited understanding of the perceptions of young drivers regarding police enforcement of road laws. The paper aims to address this gap.

Within this study 238 young drivers from Queensland, Australia, aged 17-24 years (M=18, SD=1.54), with a provisional (intermediate) driver’s licence completed an online survey regarding their perceptions of police enforcement and their driver thrill-seeking tendencies. This study considered whether these factors influenced self-reported transient (e.g. traveling speed) and fixed (e.g. blood alcohol concentration) road violations by the young drivers.

The results indicate that being detected by police for a traffic offence, and the frequency with which they display P-plates on their vehicle to indicate their licence status, are associated with both self-reported transient and fixed rule violations. Licence type, police avoidance behaviors and driver thrill seeking affected transient rule violations only, while perceptions of police enforcement affected fixed rule violations only.

This study suggests that police enforcement of young driver violations of traffic laws may not be as effective as expected and that the authors need to improve the way in which police enforce road laws for young novice drivers.

This paper identifies that perceptions of police enforcement by young drivers does not influence all types of road offences.

This paper aims to examine how reckless driving scenes in action movies affect young male drivers’ perception of reckless drivers and proposes a targeted social marketing strategy to counteract this effect.

The hypotheses were tested through a 2 (reckless driving scenes vs control) × 2 (road safety advertising vs control) online experiment with 151 young male drivers.

Reckless driving scenes in action movies prime a positive image of reckless drivers which impacts young male drivers’ attitudes and reckless driving intention. However, a road safety message specifically addressing the positive image of reckless drivers efficiently counteracts this effect.

A few studies have experimentally tested the impact of reckless driving promotion on young drivers’ attitudes and intention, but none have analysed this impact in terms of the development of a positive image of reckless drivers. In addition, this study emphasises that a targeted message based on social norms can cancel the effect of reckless driving promotion and have a beneficial impact on the most risk-prone drivers.

Social marketers working in the field of road safety can improve the efficacy of their social marketing programmes by taking into consideration the positive image of reckless drivers promoted by the media.

Practitioners should develop interventions and targeted messages that help young drivers cultivate a less idealised and masculine social image of reckless drivers.

This paper enhances the awareness of the effect that the media’s positive depiction of reckless drivers can have on the youth and proposes a strategy to counteract this effect.

This purpose of this study is to outline an inclusive development strategy for crime prevention interventions. Crime prevention interventions are delivered to the target audience to convey an evidence-based message to dissuade would-be offenders from carrying out crimes. However, rarely is the target audience involved when designing crime prevention interventions.

Using the Delphi method, this paper documents the design of an intervention aimed at improving young drivers’ compliance with road rules, incorporating feedback from both a panel of experts and the target audience of the intervention. While expert feedback guided the content and the context of the intervention, the feedback from the target audience was critical in ensuring that effective delivery and messaging of the crafted intervention would occur.

By drawing on expert and experiential insights, this exploratory method of intervention design provided a simple and effective way of ensuring the effective delivery of a crime prevention message.

Although this study focussed on a road safety intervention, the crime prevention applications of this method are broad.

This paper outlines a collaborative methodology that utilises expert and experiential knowledge towards the design and development of a crime prevention intervention, in this case, targeted at young drivers.

Purpose – Driver education and licensing are two mechanisms used to reduce crash rates. The purpose of this chapter is to provide an overview of these countermeasures and consider how simulators can be used to augment more traditional approaches.

Approach – A literature review was undertaken evaluating key concepts in driver licensing including graduated driver licensing (GDL), the role of parents in licensing, compliance and enforcement, driver testing and how the driver licensing system impacts on levels of unlicensed driving. Literature regarding driver education for individuals who have and not yet obtained a licence was also reviewed.

Findings – GDL is a successful countermeasure for reducing the crash rates of young novice drivers as it limits their exposure to higher risk situations. The support for driver education initiatives is mixed. As there are big differences between education programs, there is a need to consider each program on its own merits. Driving simulators provide a safe environment for novices to gain experience. In particular, they may be bifacial for development of hazard perception and visual scanning skills.

Practical Implications – GDL systems should be introduced where appropriate. Existing systems should be strengthened where possible by including additional, best-practice and restrictions. When considering driver education as a countermeasure, the type of program is very important. Education programs that have been shown to increase crashes should not be introduced. Further research and development are necessary to ensure that driver education and licensing adequately equip novice drivers with the skills necessary to drive in the 21st century.