The road safety implications of unlicensed driving: A survey of unlicensed drivers
(2003) The road safety implications of unlicensed driving: A survey of unlicensed drivers. Australian Transport Safety Bureau.
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Abstract
This report documents the findings of a survey of 309 unlicensed driving offenders interviewed at the Brisbane Central Magistrates Court. A wide range of offenders participated in the study including disqualified and suspended drivers, expired licence holders, drivers without a current or appropriate licence, and those who had never been licensed. The results indicate that unlicensed drivers should not be viewed as a homogenous group. Significant differences exist between offender types in terms of their socio-demographic characteristics, whether they were aware of being unlicensed or not, their behaviour while unlicensed, and the factors contributing to their behaviour. Among some offenders, unlicensed driving appears to be indicative of a more general pattern of non-conformity and illegal behaviour. 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. One of the strongest predictors of both the frequency of unlicensed driving and continued driving after detection was whether the offenders needed to drive for work purposes when unlicensed. While there was some evidence that offenders attempted to drive more cautiously while unlicensed, this was not always reflected in their reported drink driving or speeding behaviour. The results highlight the need to enhance current policies and procedures 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 but not having their licence checked.
| Item Type: | Book |
|---|---|
| Status: | Published |
| Place of Publication: | Civic Square, ACT |
| Keywords: | unlicensed; disqualified; suspended; revoked; driver behaviour; road safety; deterrence; social learning |
| Subjects: | 390000 Law, Justice and Law Enforcement > 390400 Law Enforcement 350000 Commerce, Management, Tourism and Services > 350400 Transportation > 350405 Road and Rail Transportation 320000 Medical and Health Sciences > 321200 Public Health and Health Services > 321206 Preventive Medicine 320000 Medical and Health Sciences > 321200 Public Health and Health Services > 321216 Health Promotion |
| ID Code: | 8946 |
| Deposited By: | Schnyder, Anthony J. |
| Deposited On: | 10 August 2007 |
| Alternative Locations: | http://www.atsb.gov.au/publications/2001/pdf/surv_unlic_3.pdf |
| Copyright Owner: | Copyright 2003 The Author |
| Additional Information: | Another version published by Queensland University of Technology. Centre for Accident Research and Road Safety. Also avaliable on eBook. For more information, please refer to the journal’s website (see hypertext link) or contact the author. Author contact details: b.watson@qut.edu.au |