Barry Watson | Queensland University of Technology (original) (raw)

Papers by Barry Watson

Research paper thumbnail of Targeting road safety interventions at young workers and family members through the workplace

Research paper thumbnail of Drink driving rehabilitation: The present context

This report examines the current literature concerned with the intervention of drink driving. I p... more This report examines the current literature concerned with the intervention of drink driving. I presents a review of the characteristics of drink driving offenders that place some individuals a risk of offending. It discusses the social context of drink driving and the general and specific intervention strategies that are implemented within the social context to control the drink driving problem. Particular focus is placed on drink driving rehabilitation programs and the role they play in reducing drink driving recidivism. A discussion of the methodologica problems that plague evaluations of drink driving rehabilitation programs is presented al with a review of the impact these programs can have on health, lifestyle and traffic-related outcomes. The research findings presented in this report were used to guide the development, implementation and evaluation of the "Under the Limit" drink driving rehabilitation program. A brief outline of the way in which the "Under the Limit" program fits within these research findings is presented.

Research paper thumbnail of The crash risk of disqualified/suspended and other unlicensed drivers

Unlicensed driving remains a serious problem in many countries, despite ongoing improvements in t... more Unlicensed driving remains a serious problem in many countries, despite ongoing improvements in traffic law enforcement practices and technology. In the USA, over 10% of the drivers involved in fatal crashes do not hold a valid licence, while approximately 20% of all fatal crashes involve at least one of these drivers (1, 2). In Australia, unlicensed drivers represent over 5% of the drivers involved in fatal crashes. The crashes involving unlicensed drivers and riders account for almost 10% of the national road toll (3).

Research paper thumbnail of Licensing Age Issues: Deliberations from a Workshop Devoted to this Topic

Traffic Inj Prev, 2012

To highlight the issues and discuss the research evidence regarding safety, mobility, and other c... more To highlight the issues and discuss the research evidence regarding safety, mobility, and other consequences of different licensing ages. Information included is based on presentations and discussions at a 1-day workshop on licensing age issues and a review and synthesis of the international literature. The literature indicates that higher licensing ages are associated with safety benefits. There is an associated mobility loss, more likely to be an issue in rural states. Legislative attempts to raise the minimum age for independent driving in the United States--for example, from 16 to 17--have been resisted, although in some states the age has been raised indirectly through graduated driver licensing (GDL) policies. Jurisdictions can achieve reductions in teenage crashes by raising the licensing age. This can be done directly or indirectly by strengthening GDL systems, in particular extending the minimum length of the learner period. Supplementary materials are available for this article. Go to the publisher's online edition of Traffic Injury Prevention for the following supplemental resource: List of workshop participants.

Research paper thumbnail of Humorous health messages : "a fresh approach" for road safety advertising campaigns?

Centre For Accident Research Road Safety Qld Faculty of Health Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation School of Psychology Counselling, 2013

Research paper thumbnail of The role of university research centres in building road safety capacity : implications for China

Centre For Accident Research Road Safety Qld Faculty of Health Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation School of Psychology Counselling, Aug 2, 2014

Research paper thumbnail of The experiences of parents and other supervisors in a graduated driver licensing program in Queensland, Australia

Centre For Accident Research Road Safety Qld Faculty of Health Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation School of Psychology Counselling, 2012

Research paper thumbnail of A methodology for estimating exposure-controlled crash risk using traffic Police crash data

Centre For Accident Research Road Safety Qld Faculty of Health Science Engineering Faculty, Dec 1, 2013

ABSTRACT Exposure control or case-control methodologies are common techniques for estimating cras... more ABSTRACT Exposure control or case-control methodologies are common techniques for estimating crash risks, however they require either observational data on control cases or exogenous exposure data, such as vehicle-kilometres travelled. This study proposes an alternative methodology for estimating crash risk of road user groups, whilst controlling for exposure under a variety of roadway, traffic and environmental factors by using readily available police-reported crash data. In particular, the proposed method employs a combination of a log-linear model and quasi-induced exposure technique to identify significant interactions among a range of roadway, environmental and traffic conditions to estimate associated crash risks. The proposed methodology is illustrated using a set of police-reported crash data from January 2004 to June 2009 on roadways in Queensland, Australia. Exposure-controlled crash risks of motorcyclists—involved in multi-vehicle crashes at intersections—were estimated under various combinations of variables like posted speed limit, intersection control type, intersection configuration, and lighting condition. Results show that the crash risk of motorcycles at three-legged intersections is high if the posted speed limits along the approaches are greater than 60 km/h. The crash risk at three-legged intersections is also high when they are unsignalized. Dark lighting conditions appear to increase the crash risk of motorcycles at signalized intersections, but the problem of night time conspicuity of motorcyclists at intersections is lessened on approaches with lower speed limits. This study demonstrates that this combined methodology is a promising tool for gaining new insights into the crash risks of road user groups, and is transferrable to other road users.

Research paper thumbnail of Profiling the offence patterns of disqualified drink drivers in Queensland, Australia

Centre For Accident Research Road Safety Qld Faculty of Health Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation School of Psychology Counselling, 2010

Armstrong, Kerry A. <http://eprints.qut.edu.au/view/person/Armstrong,\_Kerry.html>, ... more Armstrong, Kerry A. <http://eprints.qut.edu.au/view/person/Armstrong,_Kerry.html>, Watson, Barry C. <http://eprints.qut.edu.au/view/person/Watson,_Barry.html>, Livingstone, Kerrie <http://eprints.qut.edu.au/view/person/Livingstone,_Kerrie.html>, & Watson, Angela <http://eprints. ...

Research paper thumbnail of Graduated driver licensing : recent research undertaken at the Centre for Accident Research and Road Safety – Queensland (CARRS-Q)

Centre For Accident Research Road Safety Qld Faculty of Health Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation School of Psychology Counselling, Sep 11, 2012

Research paper thumbnail of Young and Unlicensed: Risky Driving Before Enteringthe Licensing System

Objective On-road driving before gaining a valid licence (pre-Licence driving) represents a risk ... more Objective On-road driving before gaining a valid licence (pre-Licence driving) represents a risk for all road users. Pre-Licence driving among young people who obtained a Provisional licence within an enhanced graduated driver licensing program in Queensland, Australia, was investigated.

Research paper thumbnail of The structure of the learner licence affects the type of experience novices gain during this phase - Examples from Queensland and New South Wales

Journal of the Australasian College of Road Safety, Nov 1, 2008

The structure of the learner licence affects the type of experiences novices gain during this pha... more The structure of the learner licence affects the type of experiences novices gain during this phase: Examples from Queensland and New South Wales. In Proceedings High risk road users -Motivating behaviour change: What works and what doesn't work? Brisbane. Newly licensed drivers have a higher crash risk when compared with any other group of drivers. Graduated driver licensing, with learner, provisional and open licence stages, is one countermeasure demonstrated to reduce this crash risk. The objective of this study was to examine the self-reported behaviours and experiences of learner drivers in two Australian states with different learner licensing requirements: Queensland and New South Wales. Telephone interviews were conducted with 392 participants who were recruited from driver licensing centres immediately after they passed their practical driving test and obtained their driver's licence under the former driver licensing systems in Queensland and New South Wales. This research identified that the behaviour of learner drivers in both states was very similar, although it did differ on measures that the driver licensing system was likely to influence including the frequency with which L plates were displayed and completion of a log book. The paper also provides information on how learners organised their practice with learners in Queensland appearing less likely to deliberately structure their practice when compared with learners in New South Wales. This research suggests that much of the driving of learners in Queensland occurs on an ad-hoc, unplanned basis. As a result, licensing authorities need to carefully consider how they structure their licensing system in order to positively influence learners' driving experiences.

Research paper thumbnail of Traffic harmony in China? Investigating driver perceptions of traffic law enforcement and social responsibility for harmonious road use

Centre For Accident Research Road Safety Qld Faculty of Health Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation School of Psychology Counselling, Oct 14, 2012

ABSTRACT Social harmony can manifest in many ways. In rapidly motorizing countries like China, a ... more ABSTRACT Social harmony can manifest in many ways. In rapidly motorizing countries like China, a growing area of potential disharmony is road use. The increased ability to purchase a car for the first time and a subsequent increase in new drivers has seen several Chinese cities take unprecedented measures to manage congestion. There is a corresponding need to ensure effective traffic law enforcement in promoting a safe environment for all road users. This paper reports qualitative research conducted with Beijing car drivers to investigate perceptions of unsafe road use, penalties for traffic violations, and improvements for the current system. Overall, the findings suggest awareness among drivers of many of the key risk factors. A perceived lack of clarity in how penalties are determined was identified and drivers in-dicated a desire to know how revenue from traffic fines is used. Several suggestions for improving the current system included school/community education about road risks and traffic law. The rise of private car ownership in China may contribute to a more harmonious personal life, but at the same time, may contribute to a decrease in societal harmony. A major challenge for authorities in any country is to promote the idea of a collective responsibility for road safety (traffic harmony), especially to those who perceive that traffic rules do not apply to them. This is a potentially greater challenge for China as it strives to balance harmony on the road and harmony in the broader society.

Research paper thumbnail of Applying the Haddon Matrix in the context of work-related road safety

Centre For Accident Research Road Safety Qld Faculty of Health Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation School of Psychology Counselling, 2014

Research paper thumbnail of The Transfer of Stress from Daily Hassles to the Driving Environment in a Fleet Sample

Centre For Accident Research Road Safety Qld Faculty of Health Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, 2006

It is widely recognised that stress can have a profound effect on individual lives. For organisat... more It is widely recognised that stress can have a profound effect on individual lives. For organisations, stress has been shown to have considerable impact on several outcomes such as employee absenteeism, turnover, and injury rates. As work-related motor vehicle crashes have been shown to be the major source of workplace fatalities it is considered important to quantify the role of stress in fleet driving. Previous studies have shown that stress from life events has been associated with increased crash involvement. Accordingly, this study aimed to investigate how stress from daily hassles (outside of work) may impact upon driving lapses, errors, and violations for drivers of Queensland Government fleet vehicles. Participants (N = 247) completed a modified version of the Daily Stress Inventory, the Driver Behaviour Questionnaire (DBQ), and a brief questionnaire for demographic and exposure information. Hierarchical multiple regression revealed that after controlling for age, gender, and hours per week driving, daily hassles significantly predicted DBQ scores. This suggests that drivers' subjective responses to specific antecedent events (e.g., hassles at home) places them in a vulnerable state that affects their driving behaviour. This is discussed in terms of Matthews' (2001) Transactional Model of Driver Stress. The implications of the research are discussed, including the need for organisations to consider the far reaching effects of stress and the associated costs in terms of fleet safety and, accordingly, address such issues within organisational policies and procedures.

Research paper thumbnail of The effectiveness of licence restriction for drink drivers: The Australian experience

Centre For Accident Research Road Safety Qld Faculty of Health Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, 2000

In many jurisdictions, licence restriction is used as an alternative to full suspension for certa... more In many jurisdictions, licence restriction is used as an alternative to full suspension for certain drink driving offenders. However, this may undermine both the specific and general deterrent effect of licence loss, by reducing the perceived certainty and severity of the sanction. To explore this proposition, an analysis was undertaken of the records of almost 22,000 male drivers initially convicted of drink driving during 1988 in Queensland, Australia. At a process level, it was found that licence restriction was relatively common, with 12% of offenders being granted a restricted licence for employment purposes. Contrary to legislative guidelines, these licences were sometimes granted to offenders with a recent history of drink driving. At an outcome level, it was found that the restricted drivers were involved in a similar proportion of alcohol-related crashes, but more non alcohol-related crashes, during the term of the sanction than drivers who had been fully suspended. This is consistent with previous research by the authors indicating that restricted drivers do not commit any more drink driving offences than suspended drivers. Therefore, while full suspension produces greater overall road safety benefits, restricted licences appear no less effective as a specific deterrent to drink driving.

Research paper thumbnail of A survey of unlicensed driving offenders

Centre For Accident Research Road Safety Qld Faculty of Health Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, 2002

This paper reports the findings of a survey of 309 unlicensed driving offenders interviewed at th... more This paper reports the findings of a survey of 309 unlicensed driving offenders interviewed at the Brisbane Magistrates Court. A wide range of offenders participated in the study, including: disqualified and cancelled drivers; expired licence holders; drivers without a current or appropriate licence; and those who had never been licensed. The results suggest that unlicensed drivers should not be viewed as a homogenous group. Significant differences exist between offender types in terms of their socio-demographic characteristics; driving history; whether they were aware of being unlicensed; and their behaviour while unlicensed. Among some offenders, unlicensed driving appears to be indicative of a more general pattern of non-conformity; almost two-thirds of the disqualified and never licensed drivers had prior criminal convictions. While many offenders limited their driving while unlicensed, others continued to drive frequently. Moreover, almost one-third of the sample continued to drive unlicensed after being detected by the police. While there was some evidence that offenders attempted to drive more cautiously while unlicensed, this was not consistent with other aspects of their behaviour. For example, almost one-quarter of the offenders admitted driving at some time when they thought they were over the legal alcohol limit. The results highlight the need to enhance current policies and practices to counter unlicensed driving. In particular, there is a need to examine current enforcement practices since over one third of the participants reported being pulled over by the Police while driving unlicensed and not having their licence checked.

Research paper thumbnail of Report on motorcycle safety consultation workshops. Final report to Queensland Transport

Centre For Accident Research Road Safety Qld Faculty of Health Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Jun 1, 2008

ABSTRACT

Research paper thumbnail of Different approaches to measuring specific deterrence : some examples from speeding offender management

Centre For Accident Research Road Safety Qld Faculty of Health Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation School of Psychology Counselling, 2010

Research paper thumbnail of A comparison of the crash involvement of unlicensed motorcycle riders and unlicensed drivers in Queensland

Centre For Accident Research Road Safety Qld Faculty of Health Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, 2006

Despite on-going improvements in traffic law enforcement practices and technology, unlicensed dri... more Despite on-going improvements in traffic law enforcement practices and technology, unlicensed driving and riding remain serious road safety problems in Australia. Previous research into the crash involvement of unlicensed motor vehicle operators has identified unlicensed motorcyclists as a significant high-risk group within the larger unlicensed population. The current investigation compared the crash involvement of unlicensed riders and drivers in Queensland for the period 2000 -2004. Results indicated that like unlicensed drivers, unlicensed motorcycle riders are over-represented in fatal and serious injury crashes. However, the proportion of unlicensed riders involved in motorcycle crashes is higher than is the case for unlicensed drivers, at all crash severity levels. The three main types of unlicensed riders involved in serious casualty crashes are those with disqualified/suspended licences, those with inappropriate licences, and those who have never been licensed. In terms of contributing factors, serious crashes involving unlicensed drivers and riders both showed an increased involvement of alcohol or drugs, speeding, inexperience and inattention compared to those involving their licensed counterparts. However, relatively more of the crashes involving unlicensed riders occurred in lower speed zones (ie. 60 km/h or less roads) than was the case for unlicensed drivers. The results are discussed in terms of directions for future research and policy.

Research paper thumbnail of Targeting road safety interventions at young workers and family members through the workplace

Research paper thumbnail of Drink driving rehabilitation: The present context

This report examines the current literature concerned with the intervention of drink driving. I p... more This report examines the current literature concerned with the intervention of drink driving. I presents a review of the characteristics of drink driving offenders that place some individuals a risk of offending. It discusses the social context of drink driving and the general and specific intervention strategies that are implemented within the social context to control the drink driving problem. Particular focus is placed on drink driving rehabilitation programs and the role they play in reducing drink driving recidivism. A discussion of the methodologica problems that plague evaluations of drink driving rehabilitation programs is presented al with a review of the impact these programs can have on health, lifestyle and traffic-related outcomes. The research findings presented in this report were used to guide the development, implementation and evaluation of the "Under the Limit" drink driving rehabilitation program. A brief outline of the way in which the "Under the Limit" program fits within these research findings is presented.

Research paper thumbnail of The crash risk of disqualified/suspended and other unlicensed drivers

Unlicensed driving remains a serious problem in many countries, despite ongoing improvements in t... more Unlicensed driving remains a serious problem in many countries, despite ongoing improvements in traffic law enforcement practices and technology. In the USA, over 10% of the drivers involved in fatal crashes do not hold a valid licence, while approximately 20% of all fatal crashes involve at least one of these drivers (1, 2). In Australia, unlicensed drivers represent over 5% of the drivers involved in fatal crashes. The crashes involving unlicensed drivers and riders account for almost 10% of the national road toll (3).

Research paper thumbnail of Licensing Age Issues: Deliberations from a Workshop Devoted to this Topic

Traffic Inj Prev, 2012

To highlight the issues and discuss the research evidence regarding safety, mobility, and other c... more To highlight the issues and discuss the research evidence regarding safety, mobility, and other consequences of different licensing ages. Information included is based on presentations and discussions at a 1-day workshop on licensing age issues and a review and synthesis of the international literature. The literature indicates that higher licensing ages are associated with safety benefits. There is an associated mobility loss, more likely to be an issue in rural states. Legislative attempts to raise the minimum age for independent driving in the United States--for example, from 16 to 17--have been resisted, although in some states the age has been raised indirectly through graduated driver licensing (GDL) policies. Jurisdictions can achieve reductions in teenage crashes by raising the licensing age. This can be done directly or indirectly by strengthening GDL systems, in particular extending the minimum length of the learner period. Supplementary materials are available for this article. Go to the publisher's online edition of Traffic Injury Prevention for the following supplemental resource: List of workshop participants.

Research paper thumbnail of Humorous health messages : "a fresh approach" for road safety advertising campaigns?

Centre For Accident Research Road Safety Qld Faculty of Health Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation School of Psychology Counselling, 2013

Research paper thumbnail of The role of university research centres in building road safety capacity : implications for China

Centre For Accident Research Road Safety Qld Faculty of Health Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation School of Psychology Counselling, Aug 2, 2014

Research paper thumbnail of The experiences of parents and other supervisors in a graduated driver licensing program in Queensland, Australia

Centre For Accident Research Road Safety Qld Faculty of Health Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation School of Psychology Counselling, 2012

Research paper thumbnail of A methodology for estimating exposure-controlled crash risk using traffic Police crash data

Centre For Accident Research Road Safety Qld Faculty of Health Science Engineering Faculty, Dec 1, 2013

ABSTRACT Exposure control or case-control methodologies are common techniques for estimating cras... more ABSTRACT Exposure control or case-control methodologies are common techniques for estimating crash risks, however they require either observational data on control cases or exogenous exposure data, such as vehicle-kilometres travelled. This study proposes an alternative methodology for estimating crash risk of road user groups, whilst controlling for exposure under a variety of roadway, traffic and environmental factors by using readily available police-reported crash data. In particular, the proposed method employs a combination of a log-linear model and quasi-induced exposure technique to identify significant interactions among a range of roadway, environmental and traffic conditions to estimate associated crash risks. The proposed methodology is illustrated using a set of police-reported crash data from January 2004 to June 2009 on roadways in Queensland, Australia. Exposure-controlled crash risks of motorcyclists—involved in multi-vehicle crashes at intersections—were estimated under various combinations of variables like posted speed limit, intersection control type, intersection configuration, and lighting condition. Results show that the crash risk of motorcycles at three-legged intersections is high if the posted speed limits along the approaches are greater than 60 km/h. The crash risk at three-legged intersections is also high when they are unsignalized. Dark lighting conditions appear to increase the crash risk of motorcycles at signalized intersections, but the problem of night time conspicuity of motorcyclists at intersections is lessened on approaches with lower speed limits. This study demonstrates that this combined methodology is a promising tool for gaining new insights into the crash risks of road user groups, and is transferrable to other road users.

Research paper thumbnail of Profiling the offence patterns of disqualified drink drivers in Queensland, Australia

Centre For Accident Research Road Safety Qld Faculty of Health Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation School of Psychology Counselling, 2010

Armstrong, Kerry A. <http://eprints.qut.edu.au/view/person/Armstrong,\_Kerry.html>, ... more Armstrong, Kerry A. <http://eprints.qut.edu.au/view/person/Armstrong,_Kerry.html>, Watson, Barry C. <http://eprints.qut.edu.au/view/person/Watson,_Barry.html>, Livingstone, Kerrie <http://eprints.qut.edu.au/view/person/Livingstone,_Kerrie.html>, & Watson, Angela <http://eprints. ...

Research paper thumbnail of Graduated driver licensing : recent research undertaken at the Centre for Accident Research and Road Safety – Queensland (CARRS-Q)

Centre For Accident Research Road Safety Qld Faculty of Health Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation School of Psychology Counselling, Sep 11, 2012

Research paper thumbnail of Young and Unlicensed: Risky Driving Before Enteringthe Licensing System

Objective On-road driving before gaining a valid licence (pre-Licence driving) represents a risk ... more Objective On-road driving before gaining a valid licence (pre-Licence driving) represents a risk for all road users. Pre-Licence driving among young people who obtained a Provisional licence within an enhanced graduated driver licensing program in Queensland, Australia, was investigated.

Research paper thumbnail of The structure of the learner licence affects the type of experience novices gain during this phase - Examples from Queensland and New South Wales

Journal of the Australasian College of Road Safety, Nov 1, 2008

The structure of the learner licence affects the type of experiences novices gain during this pha... more The structure of the learner licence affects the type of experiences novices gain during this phase: Examples from Queensland and New South Wales. In Proceedings High risk road users -Motivating behaviour change: What works and what doesn't work? Brisbane. Newly licensed drivers have a higher crash risk when compared with any other group of drivers. Graduated driver licensing, with learner, provisional and open licence stages, is one countermeasure demonstrated to reduce this crash risk. The objective of this study was to examine the self-reported behaviours and experiences of learner drivers in two Australian states with different learner licensing requirements: Queensland and New South Wales. Telephone interviews were conducted with 392 participants who were recruited from driver licensing centres immediately after they passed their practical driving test and obtained their driver's licence under the former driver licensing systems in Queensland and New South Wales. This research identified that the behaviour of learner drivers in both states was very similar, although it did differ on measures that the driver licensing system was likely to influence including the frequency with which L plates were displayed and completion of a log book. The paper also provides information on how learners organised their practice with learners in Queensland appearing less likely to deliberately structure their practice when compared with learners in New South Wales. This research suggests that much of the driving of learners in Queensland occurs on an ad-hoc, unplanned basis. As a result, licensing authorities need to carefully consider how they structure their licensing system in order to positively influence learners' driving experiences.

Research paper thumbnail of Traffic harmony in China? Investigating driver perceptions of traffic law enforcement and social responsibility for harmonious road use

Centre For Accident Research Road Safety Qld Faculty of Health Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation School of Psychology Counselling, Oct 14, 2012

ABSTRACT Social harmony can manifest in many ways. In rapidly motorizing countries like China, a ... more ABSTRACT Social harmony can manifest in many ways. In rapidly motorizing countries like China, a growing area of potential disharmony is road use. The increased ability to purchase a car for the first time and a subsequent increase in new drivers has seen several Chinese cities take unprecedented measures to manage congestion. There is a corresponding need to ensure effective traffic law enforcement in promoting a safe environment for all road users. This paper reports qualitative research conducted with Beijing car drivers to investigate perceptions of unsafe road use, penalties for traffic violations, and improvements for the current system. Overall, the findings suggest awareness among drivers of many of the key risk factors. A perceived lack of clarity in how penalties are determined was identified and drivers in-dicated a desire to know how revenue from traffic fines is used. Several suggestions for improving the current system included school/community education about road risks and traffic law. The rise of private car ownership in China may contribute to a more harmonious personal life, but at the same time, may contribute to a decrease in societal harmony. A major challenge for authorities in any country is to promote the idea of a collective responsibility for road safety (traffic harmony), especially to those who perceive that traffic rules do not apply to them. This is a potentially greater challenge for China as it strives to balance harmony on the road and harmony in the broader society.

Research paper thumbnail of Applying the Haddon Matrix in the context of work-related road safety

Centre For Accident Research Road Safety Qld Faculty of Health Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation School of Psychology Counselling, 2014

Research paper thumbnail of The Transfer of Stress from Daily Hassles to the Driving Environment in a Fleet Sample

Centre For Accident Research Road Safety Qld Faculty of Health Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, 2006

It is widely recognised that stress can have a profound effect on individual lives. For organisat... more It is widely recognised that stress can have a profound effect on individual lives. For organisations, stress has been shown to have considerable impact on several outcomes such as employee absenteeism, turnover, and injury rates. As work-related motor vehicle crashes have been shown to be the major source of workplace fatalities it is considered important to quantify the role of stress in fleet driving. Previous studies have shown that stress from life events has been associated with increased crash involvement. Accordingly, this study aimed to investigate how stress from daily hassles (outside of work) may impact upon driving lapses, errors, and violations for drivers of Queensland Government fleet vehicles. Participants (N = 247) completed a modified version of the Daily Stress Inventory, the Driver Behaviour Questionnaire (DBQ), and a brief questionnaire for demographic and exposure information. Hierarchical multiple regression revealed that after controlling for age, gender, and hours per week driving, daily hassles significantly predicted DBQ scores. This suggests that drivers' subjective responses to specific antecedent events (e.g., hassles at home) places them in a vulnerable state that affects their driving behaviour. This is discussed in terms of Matthews' (2001) Transactional Model of Driver Stress. The implications of the research are discussed, including the need for organisations to consider the far reaching effects of stress and the associated costs in terms of fleet safety and, accordingly, address such issues within organisational policies and procedures.

Research paper thumbnail of The effectiveness of licence restriction for drink drivers: The Australian experience

Centre For Accident Research Road Safety Qld Faculty of Health Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, 2000

In many jurisdictions, licence restriction is used as an alternative to full suspension for certa... more In many jurisdictions, licence restriction is used as an alternative to full suspension for certain drink driving offenders. However, this may undermine both the specific and general deterrent effect of licence loss, by reducing the perceived certainty and severity of the sanction. To explore this proposition, an analysis was undertaken of the records of almost 22,000 male drivers initially convicted of drink driving during 1988 in Queensland, Australia. At a process level, it was found that licence restriction was relatively common, with 12% of offenders being granted a restricted licence for employment purposes. Contrary to legislative guidelines, these licences were sometimes granted to offenders with a recent history of drink driving. At an outcome level, it was found that the restricted drivers were involved in a similar proportion of alcohol-related crashes, but more non alcohol-related crashes, during the term of the sanction than drivers who had been fully suspended. This is consistent with previous research by the authors indicating that restricted drivers do not commit any more drink driving offences than suspended drivers. Therefore, while full suspension produces greater overall road safety benefits, restricted licences appear no less effective as a specific deterrent to drink driving.

Research paper thumbnail of A survey of unlicensed driving offenders

Centre For Accident Research Road Safety Qld Faculty of Health Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, 2002

This paper reports the findings of a survey of 309 unlicensed driving offenders interviewed at th... more This paper reports the findings of a survey of 309 unlicensed driving offenders interviewed at the Brisbane Magistrates Court. A wide range of offenders participated in the study, including: disqualified and cancelled drivers; expired licence holders; drivers without a current or appropriate licence; and those who had never been licensed. The results suggest that unlicensed drivers should not be viewed as a homogenous group. Significant differences exist between offender types in terms of their socio-demographic characteristics; driving history; whether they were aware of being unlicensed; and their behaviour while unlicensed. Among some offenders, unlicensed driving appears to be indicative of a more general pattern of non-conformity; almost two-thirds of the disqualified and never licensed drivers had prior criminal convictions. While many offenders limited their driving while unlicensed, others continued to drive frequently. Moreover, almost one-third of the sample continued to drive unlicensed after being detected by the police. While there was some evidence that offenders attempted to drive more cautiously while unlicensed, this was not consistent with other aspects of their behaviour. For example, almost one-quarter of the offenders admitted driving at some time when they thought they were over the legal alcohol limit. The results highlight the need to enhance current policies and practices to counter unlicensed driving. In particular, there is a need to examine current enforcement practices since over one third of the participants reported being pulled over by the Police while driving unlicensed and not having their licence checked.

Research paper thumbnail of Report on motorcycle safety consultation workshops. Final report to Queensland Transport

Centre For Accident Research Road Safety Qld Faculty of Health Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Jun 1, 2008

ABSTRACT

Research paper thumbnail of Different approaches to measuring specific deterrence : some examples from speeding offender management

Centre For Accident Research Road Safety Qld Faculty of Health Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation School of Psychology Counselling, 2010

Research paper thumbnail of A comparison of the crash involvement of unlicensed motorcycle riders and unlicensed drivers in Queensland

Centre For Accident Research Road Safety Qld Faculty of Health Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, 2006

Despite on-going improvements in traffic law enforcement practices and technology, unlicensed dri... more Despite on-going improvements in traffic law enforcement practices and technology, unlicensed driving and riding remain serious road safety problems in Australia. Previous research into the crash involvement of unlicensed motor vehicle operators has identified unlicensed motorcyclists as a significant high-risk group within the larger unlicensed population. The current investigation compared the crash involvement of unlicensed riders and drivers in Queensland for the period 2000 -2004. Results indicated that like unlicensed drivers, unlicensed motorcycle riders are over-represented in fatal and serious injury crashes. However, the proportion of unlicensed riders involved in motorcycle crashes is higher than is the case for unlicensed drivers, at all crash severity levels. The three main types of unlicensed riders involved in serious casualty crashes are those with disqualified/suspended licences, those with inappropriate licences, and those who have never been licensed. In terms of contributing factors, serious crashes involving unlicensed drivers and riders both showed an increased involvement of alcohol or drugs, speeding, inexperience and inattention compared to those involving their licensed counterparts. However, relatively more of the crashes involving unlicensed riders occurred in lower speed zones (ie. 60 km/h or less roads) than was the case for unlicensed drivers. The results are discussed in terms of directions for future research and policy.