The graduated driver licensing (GDL) program in Queensland, Australia, was considerably enhanced in July 2007. This paper explores the compliance of young learner and provisional (intermediate) drivers with current GDL requirements and general road rules. Unsupervised driving, learner logbook accuracy, and experiences of punishment avoidance were explored as was speeding as a provisional driver. Participants (609 females, 423 males; M = 17.43 years) self-reported their sociodemographic characteristics, driving behaviors, and licensing experiences as learners. Six months later, a subset of participants (238 females, 105 males) completed another survey that explored their provisional behaviors and experiences. Although the majority of participants reported compliance with both the GDL requirements and general road rules, such as stopping at red lights on their learner license, a considerable proportion reported speeding. Furthermore, they reported becoming less compliant during the provisional phase, particularly with speed limits. Self-reported speeding was predicted by the following variables: younger age at licensure, being in a relationship, driving unsupervised, submitting inaccurate learner logbooks, and speeding as a learner. Enforcement and education countermeasures should focus on curtailing noncompliance, targeting speeding in particular. Novice drivers should be encouraged to comply with all road rules, including speed limits, and safe driving behaviors should be developed and reinforced during the learner and early provisional periods. Novice drivers have been found to model their parents’ driving, and parents are pivotal in regulating novice driving. It is vital that young novice drivers and parents alike be encouraged to comply with all road rules, including GDL requirements.
Young, Inexperienced, and on the Road
Do Novice Drivers Comply with Road Rules?
Transportation Research Record
Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board ; 2318 , 1 ; 98-106
2012-01-01
Article (Journal)
Electronic Resource
English
Young, Inexperienced, and on the Road: Do Novice Drivers Comply with Road Rules?
Online Contents | 2012
|Learn & live. A behavioural approach to reducing road trauma among young inexperienced drivers
British Library Conference Proceedings | 1996
|Intelligent speed adaptation—Effects and acceptance by young inexperienced drivers
Online Contents | 2010
|