Dr Cassandra Gauld

Young drivers, aged 17¿25 years, are more likely than other age groups to access social interactive technologies (e.g., Snapchat, Facebook) on their smartphones while driving. Many of these young drivers do so in a concealed manner, thereby diverting their eyes from the road for extended periods and increasing their crash risk. In accordance with previous research, an extended Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) was applied in this survey study to investigate psychosocial predictors of young drivers¿ intention, and behaviour, of responding to social interactive technology on a smartphone in a concealed manner. Participants (N = 154) resided in Australia, were aged 17¿25 years, owned a provisional or an open licence, and owned a smartphone. Participants completed two online surveys administered 1-week apart. The first survey measured intention and assessed the TPB standard constructs of attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioural control, as well as the additional constructs of anticipated action regret, anticipated inaction regret, and problematic mobile phone usage. The first survey also assessed whether there were any differences in the salient beliefs (elicited in a previous study) about smartphone use between high and low intenders to engage in this behaviour. The second survey measured engagement in the behaviour of responding in a concealed manner in the previous week. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses showed the standard TPB accounted for 69% of variance in intention, and a further 4% was accounted for by the extended constructs. In the final model, all variables, except anticipated inaction regret, were significant predictors of intention. Intention was the only significant predictor of behaviour. A series of MANOVAs found significant differences in the salient belief items between high and low intenders (e.g., high intenders were more likely to believe that friends/peers and other drivers would approve of them engaging in this behaviour). These key findings can be used as focal points for public education messages to persuade young drivers to reduce the frequency of their smartphone use, which is vital to improve road safety for all users.

Road users and the general population by and large recognise the value of vehicles with automated driving systems and features (otherwise typically known as Autonomous Vehicles (AVs)) in terms of road safety, reduced emissions and convenience, but are still wary of their capability, preferring the ¿comfort zone¿ of human operator intervention. Motorcyclists and cyclists conversely, are vulnerable to human fallibility in driving, with the majority of crashes occurring as a consequence of other drivers¿ inattention. The transition period associated with the introduction of AVs will require AVs and motorcyclists/cyclists sharing the road for a number of years yet, so we need to understand motorcyclists¿/cyclists¿ perception of AVs. The question of interest here is whether motorcyclists/cyclists reflect the historical literature in this area by having higher levels of trust for human drivers over AVs, or whether they have higher levels of trust in AVs because it removes the ¿human element¿ that has been proven to be particularly dangerous for them. Here we surveyed motorcyclists and cyclists about their trust in human drivers and AVs, and developed a novel suite of questions designed to interrogate the difference between trust in general versus trust as a concept of their own personal safety. Some of the salient outcomes suggest that motorcyclists have medium to low levels of trust for both human drivers and AVs, but are significantly more likely to believe that AVs are safer in terms of their own personal safety, such as prioritising or detecting the rider, compared to human drivers. This relationship varies with age and crash experience. The results here are consistent with the logic that motorcyclists/cyclists have a heightened sense of vulnerability on the road and welcome the introduction of AVs as a way of mitigating personal risk when riding. This insight will be crucial to the subsequent roll-out of AVs in the future.

Social and cultural barriers associated with inequitable access to driver licensing and associated road safety education, as well as socioeconomic issues that preclude ongoing vehicle maintenance and registration, result in unsafe in-car behaviours such as passenger overcrowding. This in turn is associated with improper seatbelt usage, noncompliance with child restraint man-dates, and driver distraction. For example, in Australia, where seatbelt use is mandatory, Indigenous road users are three times less likely to wear seatbelts than non-Indigenous road users. This is associated with a disproportionately high fatality rate for Indigenous drivers and passengers; 21% of Indigenous motor-vehicle occupants killed on Australian roads were not wearing a seatbelt at the time of impact. In addition, inequitable access to driver licensing instruction due to financial and cultural barriers results in Indigenous learner drivers having limited access to qualified mentors and instructors. A consequent lack of road safety instruction results in a normalising of risky driving behaviours, perpetuated through successive generations of drivers. Moreover, culturally biased driver instruction manuals, which are contextualised within an English written-language learning framework, fail to accommodate the learning needs of Indigenous peoples who may encounter dif-ficulties with English literacy. This results in difficulty understanding the fundamental road rules, which in turn makes it difficult for young drivers to develop and sustain safe in-car behaviours. This paper considers the literature regarding road safety for Indigenous road users and critically evaluates strategies and policies that have been advanced to protect Indigenous drivers. Novel so-lutions to increasing road safety rule compliance are proposed, particularly in relation to passenger safety, which are uniquely embedded within Indigenous ways of knowing, being, and doing. Safe driving practices have crucial health and social implications for Indigenous communities by allow-ing more Indigenous people to participate in work and education opportunities, access healthcare, maintain cultural commitments, and engage with families and friends, qualities which are essential for ongoing health and wellbeing.

Sharing the road with trucks is associated with increased risk of serious injury and death for passenger vehicle drivers. However, the onus for minimising risk lies not just with truck drivers; other drivers must understand the unique performance limitations of trucks associated with stop-ping distances, blind spots, and turning manoeuverability, so they can suitably act and react around trucks. Given the paucity of research aimed at understanding the specific crash risk vulnerability of young drivers around trucks, the authors employ a narrative review methodology that brings to-gether evidence from both truck and young driver road safety research domains, as well as data regarding known crash risks for each driving cohort, to gain a comprehensive understanding of what young drivers are likely to know about heavy vehicle performance limitations, where there may be gaps in their understanding, and how this could potentially increase crash risk. We then review literature regarding the human factors affecting young drivers to understand how percep-tual immaturity and engagement in risky driving behaviours are likely to compound risk regarding both the frequency and severity of collision between trucks and young drivers. Finally, we review current targeted educational initiatives and suggest that simply raising awareness of truck limitations is insufficient. We propose that further research is needed to ensure initiatives aimed at increasing young driver awareness of trucks and truck safety are evidence-based, undergo rigorous evaluation, and are delivered in a way that aims to (i) increase young driver risk perception skills, and (ii) reduce risky driving behaviour around trucks.

Objective: The main aim of this survey study was to evaluate the relative persuasiveness of three newly developed and piloted public education messages aimed at monitoring/reading social interactive technology on a smartphone among young male and female drivers. In accordance with the Step Approach to Message Design and Testing, the messages were evaluated on a number of outcome measures and also explored the influence of self-reported involvement in the target behavior. Methods: Participants (N = 152; 105 F) were aged 17 to 25 years (Mage = 20.14 years, SD = 2.35) and were randomly allocated to either an intervention (one of the three messages) or control (no message) condition. The messages in the intervention group were assessed on acceptance (i.e., behavioral intention and message effectiveness), rejection, and the third person effect (TPE) differential score (i.e., the message is perceived to be more effective for others than for themselves). Results: Hierarchical regression analyses found that, compared to males, females reported: a) lower intention to monitor/read social interactive technology on a smartphone while driving, b) lower rejection; and, c) lower TPE likelihood, irrespective of message. Conclusions: These findings suggest that young male drivers and young female drivers require different message content to be effective and support the importance of including multiple outcome measures to explain the messages¿ persuasive effects.

The main aim of this study was to concept test nine public education messages; with three different messages targeting each of three salient underlying beliefs in accordance with the Step Approach to Message Design and Testing (SatMDT) framework. The underlying beliefs were: (1) believing you are a good driver would encourage a young driver to monitor/read and respond to social interactive technology while driving; (2) slow-moving traffic would encourage a young driver to monitor/read and respond to social interactive technology while driving; and, (3) friends and peers would approve of a young driver monitoring/reading and responding to communications on their smartphone. Consistent with the SatMDT, the testing aimed to establish which three messages (each targeting a different underlying belief) young drivers reported as being the most effective. A mixed methods approach was utilised to provide an in-depth examination of individuals¿ thoughts and feelings about the messages, with such responses assessed via an individual self-report survey and focus group discussions/interviews. Participants (N = 33; 19F, 14 M) were aged 17¿25 years, had a current driver's licence, owned a smartphone, and resided in the Australian state of Queensland. Means for each of the survey items were compared across message concepts to determine which ones were rated highest. Focus group discussion/interview responses underwent a data-led thematic analysis. The results of the quantitative and qualitative analyses were integrated to identify three messages that were deemed the most effective, one for each of the three underlying beliefs. Each of these three messages elicited positive emotion and modelled positive behaviour. This research highlights the importance of concept testing message content with the target audience. The results support current research that suggests road safety messages modelling positive behaviour and eliciting positive emotions may be especially persuasive for young drivers.

Objectives: If patients are to reap the benefits of continued drug development, an understanding of why healthy participants take part in phase I clinical trials is imperative. The current study aimed to explore the nature of these underlying motivations which may, in turn, improve the overall participant experience and assist in the development of more effective recruitment and retention strategies. Design: This study used a qualitative design based on the theory of planned behaviour. Specifically, it explored healthy participants' underlying behavioural, control and normative beliefs which influence their participation in phase I clinical trials. Setting: This study took place at a company that specialises in conducting phase I and phase II clinical trials in the Australian state of Queensland. Participants: Participants (n=31) were either currently undergoing a phase I clinical trial or had previously taken part in a phase I clinical trial. Results: Results showed that the motivations were varied and not solely centred on financial gains. Reported advantages of participation included altruism, while inconvenience was most often reported as a disadvantage. Friends were reported as those most likely to approve, while one's mother was reported as most likely to disapprove. Having a suitable time frame/flexible scheduling and feeling comfortable taking part in the trial were both the most commonly reported facilitators, while inflexible scheduling/time commitment was the most commonly reported barrier. Conclusions: Practical implications included the need for organisations involved in clinical trials to be mindful of inflexible scheduling and exploring the possibility of making educational materials available to family members who may be concerned about the risks associated with participation. Overall, it is anticipated that the results of this study will improve the understanding of factors that influence phase I clinical trial participation which may, ultimately, help develop new therapeutics to improve patient health.