https://soundcloud.com/db_drivenmedia/young-people-and-road-safety-dr-bridie-scott-parker
For decades we have known that young people, especially males are overrepresented in vehicle crashes, injuries and deaths.
Many programs have been tried to reverse this trend.
Have they worked?
Dr Bridie Scott-Parker is a research fellow at the University of the Sunshine Coast. She is a psychologist and her doctoral dissertation was ‘A comprehensive investigation of the risky driving behaviour of young novice drivers’. She has presented papers on this subject all over the world.
And we are fortunate to have her on the line today.
- Young drivers road safety risk. Have we managed to address this issue to any great extent?
- Whatever we think is the right direction – the answer is a long term program not something overnight.
- Graduating licensing. Having stages of a license from learners to red P plates to green P plates. Is it working?
- You’ve actually talked at length with young people – If training needs to be over a long period is there a problem with fudged log books
- Parents’ example to their children is critical – have we been able to empower parents with the right directions to teach their children over a period of time.
- The role of police. Has that been researched.
- It involves respect for the law plus making sure children do not feel victimised.
- You talk of vertical integration? What do you mean.
- There is new technology that helps prevent an accident – Brake Assist which detects if there is a emergency braking situation. Electronic stability control. They might do more than training. Although they are not foolproof.
- The other technology is the monitoring of what is happening. It’s like that old saying God is watching so you better behalf. Now it is GPS and other such systems
- Simple rules. Don’t take your child on a roundabout in the first lesson.
