Citation

Bates L, Darvell MJ, Watson BC. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Criminology 2017; 50(1): 23-8.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2017)

DOI

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PMID

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Abstract

Newly licenced drivers are disproportionately represented in traffic injuries and crash statistics. Despite the implementation of countermeasures designed to improve safety, such as graduated driver licencing (GDL) schemes, many young drivers do not comply with road rules. This study used a reconceptualised deterrence theory framework to investigate young drivers' perceptions of the enforcement of road rules in general and those more specifically related to GDL. A total of 236 drivers aged 17-24 completed a questionnaire assessing their perceptions of various deterrence mechanisms (personal and vicarious) and their compliance with both GDL-specific and general road rules. Hierarchical multiple regressions conducted to explore noncompliant behaviour revealed that, contrary to theoretical expectations, neither personal nor vicarious punishment experiences affected compliance in the expected direction. Instead, the most influential factors contributing to noncompliance were licence type (P2) and, counterintuitively, having previously been exposed to enforcement. Parental enforcement was also significant in the prediction of transient rule violations, but not fixed rule violations or overall noncompliance.

FINDINGS are discussed in light of several possibilities, including an increase in violations due to more time spent on the road, an 'emboldening effect' noted in prior studies and possible conceptual constraints regarding the deterrence variables examined in this study.

Keywords
Compliance, deterrence theory, graduated driver licencing, provisional drivers, young drivers

Keywords

Australia; Behavior; Deterrence; Drivers; Graduated licensing; Safe systems (road users); Questionnaires; Compliance; Driver behaviour; Graduated licence; Risk taking; Questionnaire