Vision Zero for Queensland School Students: Transferring Developmental & Cognitive Research into Road Safety Policy and Practice

The last decade has seen a rapid increase in the use of mopeds and scooters in some cities where they have traditionally been uncommon. One such city is Brisbane, the capital city of the Australian State of Queensland, where a 50cc moped may be ridden on a car licence, while riders of larger scooters require a motorcycle licence. The first study reported here observed stationary powered two-wheelers (PTWs) in designated parking areas at six-monthly intervals from August 2008. Over one third of all PTWs observed were either mopeds (22%) or larger scooters (14%), while the majority were motorcycles (64%) (n = 2037). Focus groups were then held to explore riders’ perspectives on safety and transport planning issues. Parking availability, traffic congestion, cost, time-efficiency were frequently mentioned motivating factors. Moped riders were younger and less experienced and less likely to have undertaken or value rider training, and less likely to wear protective clothing.